Piezo-catalytic immunotherapy: mechanisms and feasibility in cancer treatment
Zhiguang Chen, Liang Sang, Donglin Bian, Yanjun Liu, Zhiqun Bai
Abstract
Over the past decade, immunotherapy has revolutionized the clinical management of numerous cancer types. However, only a subset of patients derives long-term durable tumor control from it. Intriguingly, several emerging therapeutic strategies harnessing reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated immunogenic cell death (ICD) hold promise for enabling precision immunotherapy in cancer, with sonodynamic therapy emerging as a notable example. The utilization of piezoelectric materials as sonosensitizers can effectively enhance ROS production, thereby augmenting the efficacy of ICD-induced immunotherapy. Additionally, electrical stimulation generated by the piezoelectric effect can further induce immune response activation and necroptosis, achieving a synergistic effect in piezo-catalytic immunotherapy. Herein, we will systematically review the pathways and potential mechanisms underlying piezo-catalytic immunotherapy, offering novel insights for the exploration of cancer immunotherapy strategies.