Intratumoral lactic acid neutralization strategy for boosting chemoimmunotherapy using liposomal sodium bicarbonate

Glycolysis-related lactic acid overproduction creates an "ion-trapping" barrier and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment that compromise effective intratumoral drug delivery and therapy. Therefore, normalization of tumor microenvironment via lactic acid neutralization can be a promising avenue for overcoming this therapeutic hurdle. In this study, the flexible liposomes loaded with sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃@Flip) were used as a nano-adjuvant to boost chemoimmunotherapy. Their effects on assisting DOXIL and anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) therapy were investigated. NaHCO₃@Flip achieved deep tumor penetration, with the ability to neutralize lactic acid and normalize the acidic tumor microenvironment. NaHCO₃@Flip is biosafe and can enhance cellular uptake efficiency of doxorubicin (DOX) by overcoming the ion-trapping barrier and amplify immunogenic cell death induced by DOX. The combination therapy of liposomal DOX and NaHCO₃@Flip demonstrated enhanced inhibition of tumor growth. NaHCO₃@Flip can also synergize with PD-1 antibody therapy. NaHCO₃@Flip has the potential to serve as a therapeutic adjuvant for boosting chemoimmunotherapy by overcoming the ion-trapping effect and normalizing the tumor microenvironment.