It has been reported that cardiac glycosides (CGs) commonly used in clinical practice can inhibit tumor growth by inducing immunogenic cell death (ICD), and their positive benefits have been documented in several clinical trials of drug combinations. However, the inherent cardiogenic side effects need to be addressed before CGs can be truly applied in clinical antitumor therapy. In this study, a dual controlled release microsphere/hydrogel platform (OL-M/Gel) was constructed to precisely control the output of oleandrin (OL, one of the representative CGs) in situ in tumors. With the help of this intelligent drug release platform, OL can be released in vitro and in vivo in a sustained and stable manner. The ability of OL to induce ICD and the subsequent antigen presentation and cytotoxic T-cell cascades was first stated, which resulted in potent tumor growth suppression without significant side effects. In addition, the inhibition of autologous tumor recurrence and metastasis by OL-M/Gel was also revealed. This study is expected to break through the inherent bottleneck of CGs and promote their clinical transformation in the field of antitumor treatment.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.