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Taheri M, Tehrani HA, Daliri F, Alibolandi M, Soleimani M, Shoari A, Arefian E, Ramezani M. Bioengineering strategies to enhance the interleukin-18 bioactivity in the modern toolbox of cancer immunotherapy. Cytokine Growth Factor Rev 2024; 75:65-80. [PMID: 37813764 DOI: 10.1016/j.cytogfr.2023.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
Cytokines are the first modern immunotherapeutic agents used for activation immunotherapy. Interleukin-18 (IL-18) has emerged as a potent anticancer immunostimulatory cytokine over the past three decades. IL-18, structurally is a stable protein with very low toxicity at biological doses. IL-18 promotes the process of antigen presentation and also enhances innate and acquired immune responses. It can induce the production of proinflammatory cytokines and increase tumor infiltration of effector immune cells to revert the immunosuppressive milieu of tumors. Furthermore, IL-18 can reduce tumorigenesis, suppress tumor angiogenesis, and induce tumor cell apoptosis. These characteristics present IL-18 as a promising option for cancer immunotherapy. Although several preclinical studies have reported the immunotherapeutic potential of IL-18, clinical trials using it as a monotherapy agent have reported disappointing results. These results may be due to some biological characteristics of IL-18. Several bioengineering approaches have been successfully used to correct its defects as a bioadjuvant. Currently, the challenge with this anticancer immunotherapeutic agent is mainly how to use its capabilities in a rational combinatorial therapy for clinical applications. The present study discussed the strengths and weaknesses of IL-18 as an immunotherapeutic agent, followed by comprehensive review of various promising bioengineering approaches that have been used to overcome its disadvantages. Finally, this study highlights the promising application of IL-18 in modern combinatorial therapies, such as chemotherapy, immune checkpoint blockade therapy, cell-based immunotherapy and cancer vaccines to guide future studies, circumventing the barriers to administration of IL-18 for clinical applications, and bring it to fruition as a potent immunotherapy agent in cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mojtaba Taheri
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hossein Abdul Tehrani
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
| | | | - Mona Alibolandi
- Pharmaceutical Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Masoud Soleimani
- Department of Hematology and Cell Therapy, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Iran
| | - Alireza Shoari
- Department of Cancer Biology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Ehsan Arefian
- Department of Microbiology, School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran; Pediatric Cell and Gene Therapy Research Center, Gene, Cell & Tissue Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Mohammad Ramezani
- Pharmaceutical Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
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Cui JY, Lisi GP. Molecular Level Insights Into the Structural and Dynamic Factors Driving Cytokine Function. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:773252. [PMID: 34760929 PMCID: PMC8573031 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.773252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Cytokines are key mediators of cellular communication and regulators of biological advents. The timing, quantity and localization of cytokines are key features in producing specific biological outcomes, and thus have been thoroughly studied and reviewed while continuing to be a focus of the cytokine biology community. Due to the complexity of cellular signaling and multitude of factors that can affect signaling outcomes, systemic level studies of cytokines are ongoing. Despite their small size, cytokines can exhibit structurally promiscuous and dynamic behavior that plays an equally important role in biological activity. In this review using case studies, we highlight the recent insight gained from observing cytokines through a molecular lens and how this may complement a system-level understanding of cytokine biology, explain diversity of downstream signaling events, and inform therapeutic and experimental development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Y Cui
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
| | - George P Lisi
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
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IFN-γ -/- Mice Resist Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae Infection by Promoting Early Lung IL-18 Release and PMN-I Accumulation. Infect Immun 2021; 89:IAI.00069-21. [PMID: 33685942 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00069-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Porcine pleuropneumonia is a common infectious disease of pigs caused by Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) expression increases in the lung of pigs after A. pleuropneumoniae infection, but the role of IFN-γ during the infection is still obscure. In this study, an IFN-γ-/- mouse infection model was established, and bacterial load, levels of inflammatory cytokines, and types of neutrophils in the lungs were studied at different times post-A. pleuropneumoniae infection. We found that wild-type (WT) mice were more susceptible to A. pleuropneumoniae than IFN-γ-/- mice. At 6 h postinfection (hpi), the expression of interleukin 18 (IL-18) and IL-1β in the lungs of IFN-γ-/- mice was significantly increased compared to WT mice. The bacterial load and levels of inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β and IL-6) of IFN-γ-/- mice were significantly reduced at 12 hpi compared to WT mice. After an initial loss, the numbers of lung polymorphonuclear (PMN)-I cells dramatically increased in the lungs of IFN-γ-/- but not WT mice, whereas PMN-II cells continually decreased. Finally, in vivo administration of IL-18 significantly reduced clinical scores and bacterial load in the lungs of A. pleuropneumoniae-infected mice. This study identifies IFN-γ as a target for regulating the inflammatory response in the lung and provides a basis for understanding the course of clinical bacterial pneumonia and for the formulation of treatment protocols.
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