Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has emerged as a promising non-invasive cancer treatment due to its selective tumor ablation and excellent safety characteristics. However, its efficacy is limited by tumor hypoxia and excessive inflammation. In this study, we fabricated human serum albumin-based nanoparticles (CAI NPs) encapsulating celecoxib (CXB), atovaquone (ATO), and IR820 via sonication. The CAI NPs exhibited favorable physicochemical properties, including a uniform size distribution (<200 nm), high encapsulation efficiency and excellent colloidal stability. Initially, ATO acts as a mitochondrial complex III inhibitor, suppressing oxidative phosphorylation to ameliorate tumor hypoxia. This hypoxia alleviation potentiates PDT efficacy by enhancing tumor cell ROS generation. Furthermore, concomitant COX-2/PGE2 inhibition by CXB attenuates the excessive inflammatory cascade triggered during PDT, resulting in enhanced therapeutic outcomes through microenvironment modulation. Eventually, the dual-enhanced CAI NPs demonstrate potent antitumor activity in both in vivo and ex vivo models, while maintaining excellent biocompatibility under physiological conditions. In summary, the integrated three-drug regimen conclusively enhances photodynamic therapeutic outcomes through multimodal mechanisms, establishing a viable treatment approach for esophageal cancer.
The clinical efficacy of immunotherapy in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) faces dual barriers: poor immunogenicity and a suppressive tumor microenvironment. While low-temperature photothermal therapy (LTPTT) has emerged as a potential immunostimulatory strategy, its efficacy is counteracted by heat shock protein (HSP) induction and COX-2/PGE2-mediated immunosuppression. To address these challenges, we developed a multifunctional immunophotothermal nanoplatform (IAC NPs) through rational engineering of human serum albumin for combinatorial delivery of indocyanine green as a photothermal converter, atovaquone for HSP70-mediated thermoresistance blockade, and celecoxib for COX-2/PGE2 pathway inhibition. The IAC NPs achieved tumor-targeted delivery and NIR-activated immunogenic phototherapy while coinhibiting HSP70 (via atovaquone’s mitochondrial complex III blockade) and the COX-2/PGE2 immunosuppressive axis (via celecoxib). The triple medications’ synergistic action improved the expression of effector memory T cells, boosted the maturation of dendritic cells, encouraged the infiltration of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and reduced regulatory T cells. In vivo, the IAC NPs mediated profound suppression of both primary tumors and metastatic dissemination while exhibiting optimal biocompatibility for clinical translation. Our work validates a nanoenabled self-delivery system that augments the efficacy of LTPTT immunotherapy against TNBC by orchestrating coordinated inhibition of HSPs and inflammatory responses.