{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,23]],"date-time":"2026-04-23T06:46:16Z","timestamp":1776926776540,"version":"3.51.2"},"reference-count":37,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,18]],"date-time":"2025-06-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1750204800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Immunol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title><jats:p>Photothermal therapy (PTT) has emerged as a highly promising approach for cancer treatment due to its advantages of localized treatment, controllable irradiation, and non-invasive nature. This study presents a multifunctional platform for tumor PTT based on Au nanoparticles-decorated mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN@Au), aiming to synergize photothermal ablation with immune modulation.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>MSN@Au nanoparticles were engineered as the PTT agent. Photothermal efficiency was evaluated under 808 nm near-infrared (NIR) laser irradiation. Anti-tumor efficacy was systematically assessed both in vitro (tumor cell cultures) and in vivo (tumor-bearing animal models). Immune responses were analyzed by examining immunogenic cell death (ICD) induction, dendritic cell maturation, and cytotoxic T cell activation\/infiltration within the tumor microenvironment (TME).<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>MSN@Au demonstrated exceptional photothermal conversion efficiency under NIR irradiation, leading to significant tumor cell inhibition in both <jats:italic>in vitro<\/jats:italic> and <jats:italic>in vivo<\/jats:italic>. Mild PTT mediated by MSN@Au not only caused direct tumor cell damage but also triggered ICD. This promoted dendritic cell maturation and enhanced activation\/infiltration of cytotoxic T cells within the TME, thereby amplifying anti-tumor immunity.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title><jats:p>This study underscores that the strategic design of MSN@Au as a PTT agent successfully induces ICD while modulating the immunosuppressive TME, significantly amplifying therapeutic efficacy. The integration of efficient photothermal ablation with immune activation opens new avenues for developing next-generation nanoplatforms that synergize PTT with immune modulation, offering a promising strategy for treating solid tumors.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fimmu.2025.1616539","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,18]],"date-time":"2025-06-18T05:48:34Z","timestamp":1750225714000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Mesoporous silica nanoparticles loaded Au nanodots: a self-amplifying immunotherapeutic depot for photothermal 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