Breaking the Cooperation Among Various Molecules Within Cancer Cells via Defection of Glutathione for Provoking Immunotherapy

Under the driving of evolutionary dynamics, multiple antioxidant molecules were over-expressed in tumor site for protecting cancer cells from oxidative pressure. Utilizing “game theory” to defect antioxidant molecules might be an appealing anti-cancer strategy as it could disrupt the cooperation between different molecules within tumor cells. Herein, we prepared a BEM NPs, once they were exposed to over-expressed glutathione in tumor cells, they underwent a dramatic morphological change from nanodots to irregular aggregations with micron-size through Michael addition, which could mechanically disrupt endosomal and plasma membrane, inducing cell death and activating anti-tumor immunological response. Ultimately, the combination of BEM and anti-CTLA4 contributed to the versatile inhibition of different types of tumor. We believe “game theory” would provide more thinking for prospective tumor treatment.
Image courtesy of Wenyao Zhen
Group Leader
Wenyao Zhen, Lindau Alumna 2021
University of Science and Technology of China, China