Boosting Interleukin-12 Antitumor Activity and Synergism with Immunotherapy by Targeted Delivery with isoDGR-Tagged Nanogold

The clinical use of interleukin-12 (IL12), a cytokine endowed with potent immunotherapeutic anticancer activity, is limited by systemic toxicity. The hypothesis is addressed that gold nanoparticles tagged with a tumor-homing peptide containing isoDGR, an αvβ3-integrin binding motif, can be exploited for delivering IL12 to tumors and improving its therapeutic index. To this aim, gold nanospheres are functionalized with the head-to-tail cyclized-peptide CGisoDGRG (Iso1) and murine IL12. The resulting nanodrug (Iso1/Au/IL12) is monodispersed, stable, and bifunctional in terms of αvβ3 and IL12-receptor recognition. Low-dose Iso1/Au/IL12, equivalent to 18–75 pg of IL12, induces antitumor effects in murine models of fibrosarcomas and mammary adenocarcinomas, with no evidence of toxicity. Equivalent doses of Au/IL12 (a nanodrug lacking Iso1) fail to delay tumor growth, whereas 15 000 pg of free IL12 is necessary to achieve similar effects. Iso1/Au/IL12 significantly increases tumor infiltration by innate immune cells, such as NK and iNKT cells, monocytes, and neutrophils. NK cell depletion completely inhibits its antitumor effects. Low-dose Iso1/Au/IL12 can also increase the therapeutic efficacy of adoptive T-cell therapy in mice with autochthonous prostate cancer. These findings indicate that coupling IL12 to isoDGR-tagged nanogold is a valid strategy for enhancing its therapeutic index and sustaining adoptive T-cell therapy.