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 <i>via</i> 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.