Macrophage membrane-camouflaged pure-drug nanomedicine for synergistic chemo- and interstitial photodynamic therapy against glioblastoma

Glioblastoma (GBM) persists as a highly fatal malignancy, with current clinical treatments showing minimal progress over years. Interstitial photodynamic therapy (iPDT) holds promise due to its minimally invasive nature and low toxicity but is impeded by poor photosensitizer penetration and inadequate GBM targeting. Here, we developed a biomimetic pure-drug nanomedicine (MM@CT), which co-assembles the photosensitizer chlorin e6 (Ce6) and the first-line chemotherapeutic drug (temozolomide, TMZ) for GBM, then camouflaged with macrophage membranes. This design eliminates the need for traditional excipients, ensuring formulation safety and achieving exceptionally high drug loading with 73.2 %. By leveraging the biomimetic properties of macrophage membranes, MM@CT evades clearance by the mononuclear phagocyte system and can overcome blood circulatory barriers to target intracranial GBM tumors due to its inherent tumor-homing ability. Consequently, this targeted strategy enables precise delivery of TMZ to the tumor site while significantly enhancing Ce6 accumulation within the tumor tissue. Upon intra-tumoral irradiation using an optical fiber, activated Ce6 synergizes with TMZ to exert both cytotoxic effects from chemotherapy and unique advantages from iPDT simultaneously attacking GBM tumors in a dual manner. In subcutaneous and intracranial GBM mouse models, MM@CT exhibits remarkable anti-tumor efficacy with minimal systemic toxicity, emerging as a promising GBM treatment strategy.

Statement of significance

Glioblastoma (GBM) remains a formidable brain cancer, posing significant therapeutic challenges due to the presence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and tumor heterogeneity. To overcome these obstacles, we have developed MM@CT, a biomimetic nanomedicine with exceptional drug loading efficiency of 73.2 %. MM@CT incorporates the photosensitizer Ce6 and chemotherapy agent TMZ, encapsulated within nanoparticles and camouflaged with macrophage membranes. This innovative design enables efficient BBB penetration, precise tumor targeting, and synergistic application of chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy. Encouragingly, preclinical evaluations have demonstrated substantial antitumor activity with minimal systemic toxicity, positioning MM@CT as a promising therapeutic strategy for GBM.