Designer DNA nanocages modulate anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory responses in tumor associated macrophages

Cancer is a complex disease, with multiple treatment modalities, but no definitive cure. The tumor microenvironment contributes to the complexity of the disease by forming a niche of multiple cell types supporting each other to carry out various cellular functions. Tumor associated macrophages are one such kind of cells which support the tumor microenvironment via immunosuppression. DNA tetrahedron (TD), a widely explored DNA nanocage, has shown a lot of potential in therapeutics. However, the role of TD still remains quite unexplored in immunology. Here, we first establish the anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory role of TD. We then proceed with using TD as a therapeutic agent in tumor associated macrophages by modulating the response of PD-L1. The findings of this work create a base for TD in biological applications such as cancer immunotherapy.