Modularly Designed Peptide Nanoprodrug Augments Antitumor Immunity of PD-L1 Checkpoint Blockade by Targeting Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase

J Am Chem Soc. 2020 Feb 5;142(5):2490-2496. doi: 10.1021/jacs.9b12232. Epub 2020 Jan 24.

Abstract

The limited efficacy of single-agent immune checkpoint inhibitors in treating tumors has prompted investigations on their combination partners. Here, a tumor-homing indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) nanoinhibitor is reported to selectively inhibit immunosuppressive IDO pathway in the tumor microenvironment. It is self-assembled from a modularly designed peptide-drug conjugate containing a hydrophilic targeting motif (arginyl-glycyl-aspartic acid; RGD), two protonatable histidines, and an ester bond-linked hydrophobic IDO inhibitor, which exhibits pH-responsive disassembly and esterase-catalyzed drug release. Markedly, it achieved potent and persistent inhibition of intratumoral IDO activity with a reduced systemic toxicity, which greatly enhanced the therapeutic efficacy of programmed cell death-ligand 1 blockade in vivo. Overall, this study provides a promising paradigm of combinatorial normalization immunotherapy by exploiting a targeted IDO nanoinhibitor to augment the antitumor immunity of checkpoint inhibitors.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • B7-H1 Antigen / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Drug Design*
  • Humans
  • Immunotherapy
  • Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Nanoparticles*
  • Oligopeptides / chemistry
  • Prodrugs / pharmacokinetics
  • Prodrugs / pharmacology*
  • Tumor Microenvironment

Substances

  • B7-H1 Antigen
  • CD274 protein, human
  • Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase
  • Oligopeptides
  • Prodrugs
  • arginyl-glycyl-aspartic acid