Correlation of higher levels of soluble TNF-R1 with a shorter survival, independent of age, in recurrent glioblastoma

Correlation of Increased Soluble Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor 1 with Mortality and Dependence on Treatment in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Patients: A Longitudinal Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a multipotent cytokine involved in inflammation and anti-tumor activity. TNF-α exerts its function upon binding to TNF-receptor 1 (TNF-R1) and TNF-receptor 2 (TNF-R2). This study investigates the relationship of soluble (s) TNF-R1 levels in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with treatment and overall survival.

METHODS

In total, 134 NSCLC patients treated at the Medical Faculty of Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg between 2017 and 2019 were included in this study. Serum levels of sTNF-R1 were measured via ELISA at baseline and during and after treatment. A linear mixed-effects model was used to assess sTNF-R1 changes over time. Linear regression was applied to investigate the association between clinical characteristics and changes in sTNF-R1. Cox regression models were used to estimate associations with overall mortality.

RESULTS

The estimated average sTNFR-1 at baseline was 2091.71 pg/mL, with a change of 6.19 pg/mL per day. Cox models revealed that the individual change in sTNF-R1 was more strongly associated with mortality than its baseline value, especially after adjusting for covariates.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides evidence that the individual change in sTNF-R1 levels during and after treatment were associated with the risk of mortality, suggesting the use of the sTNF-R1 trajectory as a prognostic marker.

Elevation of circulating TNF receptor 2 in cancer: A systematic meta-analysis for its potential as a diagnostic cancer biomarker

High Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor 2 (TNFR2) expression is characteristic of diverse malignant cells during tumorigenesis. The protein is also expressed by many immunosuppressive cells during cancer development, allowing cancer immune escape. A growing body of evidence further suggests a correlation between the circulating form of this protein and cancer development. Here we conducted a systematic meta-analysis of cancer studies published up until 1st October 2022, in which the circulating soluble TNFR2 (sTNFR2) concentrations in patients with cancers were recorded and their association with cancer risk was assessed. Of the 14,615 identified articles, 44 studies provided data on the correlation between cancer risk and the level of circulating sTNFR2. The pooled means comparison showed a consistently significant increase in the levels of sTNFR2 in diverse cancers when compared to healthy controls. These included colorectal cancer, ovarian cancer, breast cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin's lymphoma, lung cancer, hepatocarcinoma, and glioblastoma. In a random-effect meta-analysis, the cancer-specific odd ratios (OR) showed significant correlations between increased circulating sTNFR2 levels and the risk of colorectal cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and hepatocarcinoma at 1.59 (95% CI:1.20-2.11), 1.98 (95% CI:1.49-2.64) and 4.32 (95% CI:2.25-8.31) respectively. The overall result showed an association between circulating levels of sTNFR2 and the risk of developing cancer at 1.76 (95% CI:1.53-2.02). This meta-analysis supports sTNFR2 as a potential diagnostic biomarker for cancer, albeit with different predictive strengths for different cancer types. This is consistent with a potential key role for TNFR2 involvement in cancer development.

Unveiling the Mechanism of the Traditional Korean Medicinal Formula FDY003 on Glioblastoma Through a Computational Network Pharmacology Approach

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common type of primary malignant tumor that develops in the brain, with 0.21 million new cases per year globally and a median survival period of less than 2 years after diagnosis. Traditional Korean medicines have been increasingly suggested as effective and safe therapeutic strategies for GBM. However, their pharmacological effects and mechanistic characteristics remain to be studied. In this study, we employed a computational network pharmacological approach to determine the effects and mechanisms of the traditional Korean medicinal formula FDY003 on GBM. We found that FDY003 treatment decreased the viability of human GBM cells and increased their response to chemotherapeutics. We identified 10 potential active pharmacological compounds of FDY003 and 67 potential GBM-related target genes and proteins. The GBM-related targets of FDY003 were signaling components of various crucial GBM-associated pathways, such as PI3K-Akt, focal adhesion, MAPK, HIF-1, FoxO, Ras, and TNF. These pathways are functional regulators for the determination of cell growth and proliferation, survival and death, and cell division cycle of GBM cells. Together, the overall analyses contribute to the pharmacological basis for the anti-GBM roles of FDY003 and its systematic mechanisms.

The Roles of TNFR2 Signaling in Cancer Cells and the Tumor Microenvironment and the Potency of TNFR2 Targeted Therapy

The appreciation that cancer growth is promoted by a dynamic tumor microenvironment (TME) has spawned novel approaches to cancer treatment. New therapies include agents that activate quiescent T effector cells and agents that interfere with abnormal neovascularity. Although promising, many experimental therapies targeted at the TME have systemic toxicity. Another approach is to target the TME with greater specificity by taking aim at the tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 (TNFR2) signaling pathway. TNFR2 is an attractive molecular target because it is rarely expressed in normal tissues (thus, has low potential for systemic toxicity) and because it is overexpressed on many types of cancer cells as well as on associated TME components, such as T regulatory cells (Tregs), tumor-associated macrophages, and other cells that facilitate tumor progression and spread. Novel therapies that block TNFR2 signaling show promise in cell culture studies, animal models, and human studies. Novel antibodies have been developed that expressly kill only rapidly proliferating cells expressing newly synthesized TNFR2 protein. This review traces the origins of our understanding of TNFR2's multifaceted roles in the TME and discusses the therapeutic potential of agents designed to block TNFR2 as the cornerstone of a TME-specific strategy.

The Roles of TNFR2 Signaling in Cancer Cells and the Tumor Microenvironment and the Potency of TNFR2 Targeted Therapy

The appreciation that cancer growth is promoted by a dynamic tumor microenvironment (TME) has spawned novel approaches to cancer treatment. New therapies include agents that activate quiescent T effector cells and agents that interfere with abnormal neovascularity. Although promising, many experimental therapies targeted at the TME have systemic toxicity. Another approach is to target the TME with greater specificity by taking aim at the tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 (TNFR2) signaling pathway. TNFR2 is an attractive molecular target because it is rarely expressed in normal tissues (thus, has low potential for systemic toxicity) and because it is overexpressed on many types of cancer cells as well as on associated TME components, such as T regulatory cells (Tregs), tumor-associated macrophages, and other cells that facilitate tumor progression and spread. Novel therapies that block TNFR2 signaling show promise in cell culture studies, animal models, and human studies. Novel antibodies have been developed that expressly kill only rapidly proliferating cells expressing newly synthesized TNFR2 protein. This review traces the origins of our understanding of TNFR2’s multifaceted roles in the TME and discusses the therapeutic potential of agents designed to block TNFR2 as the cornerstone of a TME-specific strategy.

Pre‐diagnostic levels of sVEGFR2, sTNFR2, sIL‐2Rα and sIL‐6R are associated with glioma risk: A nested case–control study of repeated samples

No strong aetiological factors have been established for glioma aside from genetic mutations and variants, ionising radiation and an inverse relationship with asthmas and allergies. Our aim was to investigate the association between pre‐diagnostic immune protein levels and glioma risk. We conducted a case–control study nested in the Northern Sweden Health and Disease Study cohort. We analysed 133 glioma cases and 133 control subjects matched by age, sex and date of blood donation. ELISA or Luminex bead‐based multiplex assays were used to measure plasma levels of 19 proteins. Conditional logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds ratios and 95% CIs. To further model the protein trajectories over time, the linear mixed‐effects models were conducted. We found that the levels of sVEGFR2, sTNFR2, sIL‐2Rα and sIL‐6R were associated with glioma risk. After adjusting for the time between blood sample collection and glioma diagnosis, the odds ratios were 1.72 (95% CI = 1.01–2.93), 1.48 (95% CI = 1.01–2.16) and 1.90 (95% CI = 1.14–3.17) for sTNFR2, sIL‐2Rα and sIL‐6R, respectively. The trajectory of sVEGFR2 concentrations over time was different between cases and controls (p‐value = 0.031), increasing for cases (0.8% per year) and constant for controls. Our findings suggest these proteins play important roles in gliomagenesis.

Nidogen 1-Enriched Extracellular Vesicles Facilitate Extrahepatic Metastasis of Liver Cancer by Activating Pulmonary Fibroblasts to Secrete Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor 1

In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with extrahepatic metastasis, the lung is the most frequent site of metastasis. However, how the lung microenvironment favors disseminated cells remains unclear. Here, it is found that nidogen 1 (NID1) in metastatic HCC cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) promotes pre-metastatic niche formation in the lung by enhancing angiogenesis and pulmonary endothelial permeability to facilitate colonization of tumor cells and extrahepatic metastasis. EV-NID1 also activates fibroblasts, which secrete tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR1), facilitate lung colonization of tumor cells, and augment HCC cell growth and motility. Administration of anti-TNFR1 antibody effectively diminishes lung metastasis induced by the metastatic HCC cell-derived EVs in mice. In the clinical perspective, analysis of serum EV-NID1 and TNFR1 in HCC patients reveals their positive correlation and association with tumor stages suggesting the potential of these molecules as noninvasive biomarkers for the early detection of HCC. In conclusion, these results demonstrate the interplay of HCC EVs and activated fibroblasts in pre-metastatic niche formation and how blockage of their functions inhibits distant metastasis to the lungs. This study offers promise for the new direction of HCC treatment by targeting oncogenic EV components and their mediated pathways.

Association of Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor 1 Promoter Gene Polymorphisms (-580 A/G and -609 G/T) and TNFR1 Serum Levels with the Susceptibility to Gastric Precancerous Lesions and Gastric Cancer Related to H. pylori Infection in a Moroccan Population

Chronic inflammation due to H. pylori infection is the risk factor of gastric cancer (GC). Through its receptor (TNFR1), TNF-α plays a fundamental role in inflammatory, infectious, and tumor processes. Dysregulation of TNFR1 gene expression could impact many biological processes that can lead to cancer. This study is aimed at evaluating the association of TNFR1 promoter gene polymorphisms (-580 A/G and -609 G/T) and TNFR1 serum levels with GC and precancerous lesion susceptibility. Patients suffering from gastric lesions (65 chronic gastritis, 50 precancerous lesions, and 40 GC) related to H. pylori infection and 63 healthy controls (HC) were involved in this study. Individuals are genotyped by TNFR1 gene promoter sequencing, and TNFR1 serum levels were measured by the ELISA quantitative method. Concerning TNFR1 -609 G/T locus, we noticed that the T allele was associated with an attenuated susceptibility to GC (OR = 0.4; p value = 0.02). At the genotypic level and under the recessive model, the TNFR1 -609 TT genotype showed a decreased risk of GC (OR = 0.3, p value = 0.03) compared to the combined (GG/GT) genotypes. TNFR1 serum levels have been increased together with gastric lesion severity (p value < 0.05). The TNFR1 -609 TT genotype seemed linked to a low level of sTNFR1 compared to GT and GG genotypes (p value = 0.07). Concerning TNFR1 -580 A/G locus, no significant relation was noticed between this polymorphism and GC susceptibility, as well as with the TNFR1 serum level. Our results suggest that the TNFR1 -609 T allele appears to have a protective effect against GC. High levels of TNFR1 serum levels seemed to be associated with the aggressiveness of gastric lesions. Therefore, our results suggest that TNFR1 -609 T/G polymorphism and the TNFR1 serum levels may be related to GC susceptibility.