Combination of Molecule-Targeted Therapy and Photodynamic Therapy Using Nanoformulated Verteporfin for Effective Uveal Melanoma Treatment

Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common primary ocular malignancy in adults and has high mortality. Recurrence, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance are frequently observed in UM, but no beneficial systemic therapy is available, presenting an urgent need for developing effective therapeutic drugs. Verteporfin (VP) is a photosensitizer and a Yes-Associated Protein (YAP) inhibitor that has been used in clinical practice. However, VP's lack of tumor targetability, poor biocompatibility, and relatively low treatment efficacy hamper its application in UM management. Herein, we developed a biocompatible CD44-targeting hyaluronic acid nanoparticle (HANP) carrying VP (HANP/VP) to improve UM treatment efficacy. We found that HANP/VP showed a stronger inhibitory effect on cell proliferation than that of free VP in UM cells. Systemic delivery of HANP/VP led to targeted accumulation in the UM-tumor-bearing mouse model. Notably, HANP/VP mediated photodynamic therapy (PDT) significantly inhibited UM tumor growth after laser irradiation compared with no treatment or free VP treatment. Consistently, in HANP/VP treated tumors after laser irradiation, the tumor proliferation and YAP expression level were decreased, while the apoptotic tumor cell and CD8+ immune cell levels were elevated, contributing to effective tumor growth inhibition. Overall, the results of this preclinical study showed that HANP/VP is an effective nanomedicine for tumor treatment through PDT and inhibition of YAP in the UM tumor mouse model. Combining phototherapy and molecular-targeted therapy offers a promising approach for aggressive UM management.