Pyroptosis Adjuvants: Gram-Scale Production, Cascade Catalysis, and In Situ Antitumor Immunity Activation

Although vaccine adjuvants are widely used in various preventive vaccines currently, for therapeutic cancer vaccines, they are still hindered by weak cellular immune responses. Here, a new concept of pyroptosis adjuvants (PTAVs) is proposed, and as a proof of concept, glucose oxidase (GOx)-loaded urchin-like manganese oxide (MnOx) as PTAVs with gram-scale production for exogenetic antigen-free tumor immunotherapy is reported. The obtained PTAVs dramatically generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) by cascade catalytic reactions to realize pyroptosis-induced in situ immune activation. Furthermore, PTAVs can more effectively inhibit tumor growth and pulmonary metastasis, suggesting favorable antitumor immune effects. This work is believed to provide a new scheme and inspiration for pyroptosis-mediated cancer treatments and be of great significance for the further development of cancer vaccine adjuvants.