Nanomaterial-mediated functional remodeling of antigen-presenting cells: A novel strategy to break tumor immune escape

Abstract

With the cross-integration of nanotechnology and immunology, nanomaterials have shown great potential in tumor treatment. This review begins with the nanomaterials have unique advantages in reshaping the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME), including improving targeting, enhancing stability, increasing delivery efficiency, achieving controllable release, and endowing a multi-functional integrated platform. We then systematically reviews the recently research progress on the multi-mechanism regulation of antigen-presenting cells (APCs) by nanomaterials: (1) In the aspect of dendritic cell activation, we focus on the breakthrough achievements such as the activation of immune responses through the generation of immune signal complexes and the promotion of tumor neoantigen presentation; (2) In the field of macrophage reprogramming, we analyze the applications of nanomaterials in inducing macrophage polarization, improving the anti-tumor phagocytosis of macrophages, blocking macrophage autophagy, and enhancing the synergy of immune cells; (3) In the regulation of B cells, we explore the mechanism by which nanomaterials enhance the germinal center response and thereby exert anti-tumor immune effects. This article further discusses key challenges in clinical translation, including the dynamic fate of nanomaterials in complex TIME and the balance between immunogenicity and efficacy, and proposes future directions for accelerating clinical translation through computer-aided design (such as AI prediction of nanomaterial-immune cell interaction networks) and organ-on-a-chip evaluation systems. This review provides a theoretical framework and technical route for the development of next-generation tumor immunonanomedicines.