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REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1513834
This article is part of the Research Topic Multifunctional nanomaterials: Stand in the Center of Cancer Therapy as well as Tissue Regeneration and Repair View all 4 articles
Metal ions and nanomaterials for targeted bone cancer immunotherapy
Provisionally accepted- 1 Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of YangTze University, Jingzhou, China
- 2 Department of Neurological Care Unit, The First Affiliated Hospital of YangTze University, Jingzhou, China
Bone cancer remains a significant challenge in oncology, with limited success in current therapeutic approaches, particularly immunotherapy. Emerging research highlights the potential of integrating metal ions and nanomaterials for targeted immunotherapy in bone cancer. Metal ions, including calcium, magnesium, and zinc, play a significant role in modulating immune responses within the tumor microenvironment, affecting essential pathways necessary for immune activation. Meanwhile, nanomaterials, particularly metallic nanoparticles, offer precise drug delivery and immune system modulation, improving the efficacy of immunotherapeutic agents. This review explores the synergistic effects of metal ion-nanomaterial conjugates, discussing their role in enhancing immune cell activation, particularly T-cells and macrophages, and their potential for controlled drug release. We highlight preclinical advancements in bone cancer treatment using metal ion-responsive nanoparticles, and address current challenges such as biocompatibility and toxicity. Finally, we discuss the future prospects of these technologies in personalized and precision medicine, aiming to revolutionize bone cancer immunotherapy.
Keywords: Bone cancer, Metal ions, nanomaterials, immunotherapy and tumor microenvironment, Osteosarcoma
Received: 19 Oct 2024; Accepted: 24 Feb 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Qin, Hu, Chu, Ma, Deng and Luo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Huasong Luo, Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of YangTze University, Jingzhou, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.