Issue 12, 2025, Issue in Progress

PD-L1 blockade peptide-functionalized NaGdF4 nanodots for efficient magnetic resonance imaging-guided immunotherapy for breast cancer

Abstract

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) inhibitors have shown great promise for the treatment of numerous types of cancers, including triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), by interrupting immunosuppressive checkpoints. Herein, programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) blockade peptide-functionalized NaGdF4 nanodots (designated as PDL1-NaGdF4 NDs) were prepared for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided TNBC immunotherapy through covalent conjugation of the PD-L1 blockade peptide (sequence, CALNNCVRARTR) with tryptone-capped NaGdF4 NDs (designated as Try-NaGdF4 NDs). MDA-MB-231 tumor could be easily tracked using in vivo MRI with PDL1-NaGdF4 ND enhancement because the as-prepared PDL1-NaGdF4 NDs have a high longitudinal relaxivity (r1) value (22.8 mM−1 S−1) and accumulate in the tumor site through binding with programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1)-overexpressed cells. A series of in vitro/in vivo results demonstrated that the PDL1-NaGdF4 NDs could effectively suppress MDA-MB-231 tumor growth in mice (66% volume ratio) by inhibiting migration and proliferation of tumor cells. In addition, the results of pharmacokinetic study showed that the PDL1-NaGdF4 NDs were excreted from the body through the kidneys. These results highlight the potential of PDL1-NaGdF4 NDs as a biocompatible nanomedicine for TNBC diagnosis and immunotherapy.

Graphical abstract: PD-L1 blockade peptide-functionalized NaGdF4 nanodots for efficient magnetic resonance imaging-guided immunotherapy for breast cancer

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
16 Dec 2024
Accepted
09 Mar 2025
First published
25 Mar 2025
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

RSC Adv., 2025,15, 9027-9033

PD-L1 blockade peptide-functionalized NaGdF4 nanodots for efficient magnetic resonance imaging-guided immunotherapy for breast cancer

Z. Hu, Y. Bao, X. Li, Z. Li, P. Teng, G. Liu and Z. Wang, RSC Adv., 2025, 15, 9027 DOI: 10.1039/D4RA08800J

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