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Santiso A, Heinemann A, Kargl J. Prostaglandin E2 in the Tumor Microenvironment, a Convoluted Affair Mediated by EP Receptors 2 and 4. Pharmacol Rev 2024; 76:388-413. [PMID: 38697857 DOI: 10.1124/pharmrev.123.000901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The involvement of the prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) system in cancer progression has long been recognized. PGE2 functions as an autocrine and paracrine signaling molecule with pleiotropic effects in the human body. High levels of intratumoral PGE2 and overexpression of the key metabolic enzymes of PGE2 have been observed and suggested to contribute to tumor progression. This has been claimed for different types of solid tumors, including, but not limited to, lung, breast, and colon cancer. PGE2 has direct effects on tumor cells and angiogenesis that are known to promote tumor development. However, one of the main mechanisms behind PGE2 driving cancerogenesis is currently thought to be anchored in suppressed antitumor immunity, thus providing possible therapeutic targets to be used in cancer immunotherapies. EP2 and EP4, two receptors for PGE2, are emerging as being the most relevant for this purpose. This review aims to summarize the known roles of PGE2 in the immune system and its functions within the tumor microenvironment. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) has long been known to be a signaling molecule in cancer. Its presence in tumors has been repeatedly associated with disease progression. Elucidation of its effects on immunological components of the tumor microenvironment has highlighted the potential of PGE2 receptor antagonists in cancer treatment, particularly in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitor therapeutics. Adjuvant treatment could increase the response rates and the efficacy of immune-based therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Santiso
- Division of Pharmacology, Otto Loewi Research Center, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Akos Heinemann
- Division of Pharmacology, Otto Loewi Research Center, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Julia Kargl
- Division of Pharmacology, Otto Loewi Research Center, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
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Nishibata T, Amino N, Tanaka-Kado R, Tsujimoto S, Kawashima T, Konagai S, Suzuki T, Takeuchi M. Blockade of EP4 by ASP7657 Modulates Myeloid Cell Differentiation In Vivo and Enhances the Antitumor Effect of Radiotherapy. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 2023:7133726. [PMID: 38058393 PMCID: PMC10697779 DOI: 10.1155/2023/7133726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment (TME) is thought to influence the antitumor efficacy of immuno-oncology agents through various products of both tumor and stromal cells. One immune-suppressive factor is prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), a lipid mediator whose biosynthesis is regulated by ubiquitously expressed cyclooxygenase- (COX-) 1 and inducible COX-2. By activating its receptors, PGE2 induces immune suppression to modulate differentiation of myeloid cells into myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) rather than dendritic cells (DCs). Pharmacological blockade of prostaglandin E receptor 4 (EP4) causes a decrease in MDSCs, reprogramming of macrophage polarization, and increase in tumor-infiltrated T cells, leading to enhancement of antitumor immunity in preclinical models. Here, we report the effects of the highly potent EP4 antagonist ASP7657 on the DC population in tumor and antitumor immune activation in an immunocompetent mouse tumor model. Oral administration of ASP7657 inhibited tumor growth, which was accompanied by an increase in intratumor DC and CD8+ T cell populations and a decrease in the M-MDSC population in a CT26 immunocompetent mouse model. The antitumor activity of ASP7657 was dependent on CD8+ T cells and enhanced when combined with an antiprogrammed cell death-1 (PD-1) antibody. Notably, ASP7657 also significantly enhanced the antitumor efficacy of radiotherapy in an anti-PD-1 antibody refractory model. These results indicate that the therapeutic potential of ASP7657 arises via upregulation of DCs and subsequent CD8+ T cell activation in addition to suppression of MDSCs in mouse models and that combining EP4 antagonists with radiotherapy or an anti-PD-1 antibody can improve antitumor efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toshihide Nishibata
- Immuno-oncology, Astellas Pharma Inc., 21 Miyukigaoka, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8585, Japan
| | - Nobuaki Amino
- Immuno-oncology, Astellas Pharma Inc., 21 Miyukigaoka, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8585, Japan
| | - Ruriko Tanaka-Kado
- Immuno-oncology, Astellas Pharma Inc., 21 Miyukigaoka, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8585, Japan
| | - Susumu Tsujimoto
- Immuno-oncology, Astellas Pharma Inc., 21 Miyukigaoka, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8585, Japan
| | - Tomoko Kawashima
- Immuno-oncology, Astellas Pharma Inc., 21 Miyukigaoka, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8585, Japan
| | - Satoshi Konagai
- Immuno-oncology, Astellas Pharma Inc., 21 Miyukigaoka, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8585, Japan
| | - Tomoyuki Suzuki
- Immuno-oncology, Astellas Pharma Inc., 21 Miyukigaoka, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8585, Japan
| | - Masahiro Takeuchi
- Immuno-oncology, Astellas Pharma Inc., 21 Miyukigaoka, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8585, Japan
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Thumkeo D, Punyawatthananukool S, Prasongtanakij S, Matsuura R, Arima K, Nie H, Yamamoto R, Aoyama N, Hamaguchi H, Sugahara S, Takeda S, Charoensawan V, Tanaka A, Sakaguchi S, Narumiya S. PGE 2-EP2/EP4 signaling elicits immunosuppression by driving the mregDC-Treg axis in inflammatory tumor microenvironment. Cell Rep 2022; 39:110914. [PMID: 35675777 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Revised: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Active inflammation generally promotes immune activation. However, in the tumor microenvironment (TME), active inflammation occurs in parallel with immunosuppression, and both contribute to tumor growth. Why inflammation does not lead to immune activation in TME remains unclear. In this study, using the immune checkpoint inhibitor-insensitive mouse cancer model and single-cell RNA sequencing, we show that PGE2-EP2/EP4 signaling simultaneously promotes active inflammation by inducing expression of the NF-κB genes in myeloid cells and elicits immunosuppression by driving the mregDC (mature DC enriched in immunoregulatory molecules)-Treg (regulatory T cell) axis for Treg recruitment and activation in the tumor. Importantly, the EP2/EP4 expression level is strongly correlated with the gene signatures of both active inflammation and the mregDC-Treg axis and has significant prognosis value in various human cancers. Thus, PGE2-EP2/EP4 signaling functions as the key regulatory node linking active inflammation and immunosuppression in TME, which can be targeted by EP2 and EP4 antagonists for cancer therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dean Thumkeo
- Department of Drug Discovery Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan; Alliance Laboratory for Advanced Medical Research, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan.
| | | | - Somsak Prasongtanakij
- Department of Drug Discovery Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
| | - Ryuma Matsuura
- Department of Drug Discovery Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
| | - Kentaro Arima
- Department of Drug Discovery Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
| | - Huan Nie
- Department of Drug Discovery Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
| | - Rie Yamamoto
- Alliance Laboratory for Advanced Medical Research, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan; Drug Discovery Research, Astellas Pharma, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8585, Japan
| | - Naohiro Aoyama
- Drug Discovery Research, Astellas Pharma, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8585, Japan
| | - Hisao Hamaguchi
- Drug Discovery Research, Astellas Pharma, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8585, Japan
| | - Shingo Sugahara
- Drug Discovery Research, Astellas Pharma, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8585, Japan
| | - Shinobu Takeda
- Drug Discovery Research, Astellas Pharma, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8585, Japan
| | - Varodom Charoensawan
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand; System Biology of Diseases Research Unit, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand; Integrative Computational BioScience (ICBS) Center, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand
| | - Atsushi Tanaka
- Department of Experimental Immunology, WPI Immunology Frontier Research Center, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Shimon Sakaguchi
- Department of Experimental Immunology, WPI Immunology Frontier Research Center, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Shuh Narumiya
- Department of Drug Discovery Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan; Alliance Laboratory for Advanced Medical Research, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan; AMED-FORCE, Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, Chiyoda, Tokyo 100-0004, Japan.
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Renoprotective effects of the novel prostaglandin EP4 receptor-selective antagonist ASP7657 in 5/6 nephrectomized chronic kidney disease rats. NAUNYN-SCHMIEDEBERG'S ARCHIVES OF PHARMACOLOGY 2018; 392:451-459. [PMID: 30554341 DOI: 10.1007/s00210-018-01600-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2018] [Accepted: 12/06/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Prostaglandins (PGs) are important lipid mediators of numerous physiologic and pathophysiologic processes in the kidney. PGE2, the most abundant renal PG, plays a major role in renal physiology, including renin release and glomerular hemodynamics. We investigated the renoprotective properties of the novel PGE2 EP4 receptor-selective antagonist ASP7657 in 5/6 nephrectomized rats, a chronic kidney disease (CKD) model. Eight weeks of repeated administration of ASP7657 (0.001-0.1 mg/kg) dose-dependently and significantly reduced urinary protein excretion and attenuated the development of glomerulosclerosis and tubulointerstitial damage, including fibrosis and inflammatory cell infiltration, without affecting blood pressure. Additionally, ASP7657 tended to have beneficial effects on renal function, as indicated by the decrease in plasma creatinine and blood urea nitrogen levels and attenuation of the decline in creatinine clearance (Ccr). The angiotensin II receptor blocker losartan (10 mg/kg) also showed these renoprotective effects while significantly reducing blood pressure. ASP7657 dose-dependently and significantly reduced the EP4 receptor agonist-induced increase in plasma renin activity, as assessed by angiotensin I release in normal rats. Additionally, ASP7657 attenuated hyperfiltration assessed by Ccr without changing the renal blood flow or blood pressure in diabetic rats. These results suggest that ASP7657 suppresses the progression of chronic renal failure by modulating renin release and improving renal hemodynamics, and may therefore be a promising therapeutic option for inhibiting the progression of CKD.
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