MOF-Coated Upconversion Nanoparticle Agents Enable Synergistic Photodynamic Therapy and Immunotherapy

Although conventional therapeutic approaches demonstrate significant success in treating primary tumors, their efficacy diminishes when addressing distant and metastatic tumors, calling for new technologies to transport and activate the therapeutic agents. Here, a core-shell UCNP@MOF (upconversion nanoparticle — metal organic framework) nanoagents is constructed for Type I and Type II photodynamic therapy under biocompatible near-infrared light irradiance (at 808 nm) and utilize their pore loading capacity to further realize synergistic immunotherapy in solid tumors. The Cu²⁺ to Cu⁺ reduction at the nodes in the MOFs shell is demonstrated to promote the generation of reactive oxygen species via depletion of overexpressed glutathione (GSH) compounds, while tumor microenvironment-enriched hydrogen peroxide is found to substantially augment the PDT effects. Importantly, the MOFs pore-loaded indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) inhibitor, along with s-nitroso-n-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP), upregulated tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and induced prominent immunotherapeutic effects in vivo. This core-shell UCNP@MOF nanoagents have demonstrated effectiveness against both primary and distant tumors in xenografted tumor models, holding promise for treating solid tumors in metastasis.