Poliglusam Nanoparticles Activate T Cell Response in Breast Cancer Cell: an In Vivo and In Vitro Study

Poliglusam nanoparticles are potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of cancer. In particular, their efficacy has been reported as delivery systems in breast cancer. The aim of this study is to propose a new immunotherapeutic strategy, using Poliglusam nanoparticles as activators of the human immune response. Poliglusam nanoparticles were synthesized and characterized using both dynamic light scattering and electron microscopy. Whilst, their effectiveness in immune stimulation and detection of apoptosis was evaluated by cytokine and TUNEL assays. Finally, the cytokines pattern in splenocytes revealed an increase in IFN-γ production. The results of cytotoxicity on 4 T1 cells show an increase in the mortality rate with respect to the control cell line. The rate of apoptosis induced by Poliglusam nanoparticles on 4 T1 mouse breast cancer cell line is about 45% higher compared to MCF-7 human cells line, revealing the natural tendency of Poliglusam in increasing the production of IFN-γ in cancer cells. At the state-of-art of the knowledge, very few information have been achieved on the immunological effects of Poliglusam. This work is one of the first studies for the identification of non-functionalized Poliglusam nanoparticles impact on breast cancer. Thus, their immunotherapeutic effect, combined with an anticancer drug, can be employed as potential effective drug for eliminating breast cancer cells in the future.