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Photo-Empowered Macrophage-Based Drug Delivery System Overcomes Motility Suppression and Significantly Enhances Deep
Zhaoming Fu1,2, Xin Cui1,2, Shanshan Liu1,2
1State Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, School of Biomedical Engineering, Hainan University, Sanya, 572025, China.
Advanced Science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)
|November 10, 2025
Summary
A novel photo-empowered macrophage-based (PEM) drug delivery system uses spinach thylakoids to boost macrophage movement. This system effectively delivers antitumor drugs to deep tumors, overcoming resistance and enhancing therapy.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Nanotechnology
- Cancer Therapy
Background:
- Cell-based drug delivery systems show promise for antitumor therapy due to biocompatibility and drug-loading capacity.
- The immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment hinders immune cell motility, limiting drug delivery efficiency.
- Overcoming tumor microenvironment limitations is critical for effective cancer treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel photo-empowered macrophage-based (PEM) drug delivery system.
- To enhance macrophage motility within the tumor microenvironment using light-stimulated thylakoids.
- To improve the delivery and efficacy of antitumor drugs, doxorubicin (Dox) and tirapazamine (TPZ).
Main Methods:
- Modification of macrophages with thylakoids extracted from spinach leaves.
- Utilizing light stimulation to trigger ATP generation via photochemical reactions in thylakoids.
- Loading the PEM system with doxorubicin (Dox) and tirapazamine (TPZ) for antitumor delivery.
Main Results:
- The PEM system significantly enhanced macrophage motility, overcoming tumor microenvironment suppression.
- Improved drug delivery efficiency to deep tumor tissues was observed.
- Enhanced antitumor therapeutic efficacy, including eradication of hypoxic and drug-resistant cells.
Conclusions:
- The photo-empowered macrophage-based (PEM) system offers a novel approach for deep tumor drug delivery.
- This strategy effectively addresses multidrug resistance in cancer therapy.
- The PEM system holds significant promise for advancing antitumor treatment strategies.
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