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Dong X, Xia S, Du S, Zhu MH, Lai X, Yao SQ, Chen HZ, Fang C. Tumor Metabolism-Rewriting Nanomedicines for Cancer Immunotherapy. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE 2023; 9:1864-1893. [PMID: 37901179 PMCID: PMC10604035 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.3c00702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023]
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy has become an established therapeutic paradigm in oncologic therapy, but its therapeutic efficacy remains unsatisfactory in the majority of cancer patients. Accumulating evidence demonstrates that the metabolically hostile tumor microenvironment (TME), characterized by acidity, deprivation of oxygen and nutrients, and accumulation of immunosuppressive metabolites, promotes the dysfunction of tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) and thereby compromises the effectiveness of immunotherapy. This indicates the potential role of tumor metabolic intervention in the reinvigoration of antitumor immunity. With the merits of multiple drug codelivery, cell and organelle-specific targeting, controlled drug release, and multimodal therapy, tumor metabolism-rewriting nanomedicines have recently emerged as an attractive strategy to strengthen antitumor immune responses. This review summarizes the current progress in the development of multifunctional tumor metabolism-rewriting nanomedicines for evoking antitumor immunity. A special focus is placed on how these nanomedicines reinvigorate innate or adaptive antitumor immunity by regulating glucose metabolism, amino acid metabolism, lipid metabolism, and nucleotide metabolism at the tumor site. Finally, the prospects and challenges in this emerging field are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Dong
- Department
of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, Shanghai
University, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Shu Xia
- Department
of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, Shanghai
University, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Shubo Du
- School
of Bioengineering, Dalian University of
Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Mao-Hua Zhu
- Hongqiao
International Institute of Medicine, Tongren Hospital and State Key
Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Department of Pharmacology
and Chemical Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong
University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025 China
| | - Xing Lai
- Hongqiao
International Institute of Medicine, Tongren Hospital and State Key
Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Department of Pharmacology
and Chemical Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong
University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025 China
| | - Shao Q. Yao
- Department
of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore
| | - Hong-Zhuan Chen
- Institute
of Interdisciplinary Integrative Biomedical Research, Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203 China
| | - Chao Fang
- Hongqiao
International Institute of Medicine, Tongren Hospital and State Key
Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Department of Pharmacology
and Chemical Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong
University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025 China
- Key
Laboratory of Basic Pharmacology of Ministry of Education & Joint
International Research Laboratory of Ethnomedicine of Ministry of
Education, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi 563003, China
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Stone TW, Williams RO. Modulation of T cells by tryptophan metabolites in the kynurenine pathway. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2023; 44:442-456. [PMID: 37248103 DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2023.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Lymphocytes maturing in the thymus (T cells) are key factors in adaptive immunity and the regulation of inflammation. The kynurenine pathway of tryptophan metabolism includes several enzymes and compounds that can modulate T cell function, but manipulating these pharmacologically has not achieved the expected therapeutic activity for the treatment of autoimmune disorders and cancer. With increasing knowledge of other pathways interacting with kynurenines, the expansion of screening methods, and the application of virtual techniques to understanding enzyme structures and mechanisms, details of interactions between kynurenines and other pathways are being revealed. This review surveys some of these alternative approaches to influence T cell function indirectly via the kynurenine pathway and summarizes the most recent work on the development of compounds acting directly on the kynurenine pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trevor W Stone
- The Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FY, UK
| | - Richard O Williams
- The Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FY, UK.
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3
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High Serum Levels of IL-6 Predict Poor Responses in Patients Treated with Pembrolizumab plus Axitinib for Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14235985. [PMID: 36497467 PMCID: PMC9738341 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14235985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type of kidney malignancy worldwide with Pembrolizumab and axitinib treatment (Pembro/Axi) amongst the most effective first-line immunotherapies for advanced RCC. However, it remains difficult to predict treatment response and early resistance. Therefore, we evaluated whether baseline serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) could be a predictive biomarker. Between November 2019 and December 2021, 58 patients with advanced RCC were enrolled, administered first-line Pembro/Axi, and baseline blood samples were analyzed using flow cytometry. The mean baseline serum IL-6 concentration was 8.6 pg/mL in responders and 84.1 pg/mL in patients with progressive disease. The IL-6 cut-off value was set at 6.5 pg/mL using time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curves, with 37.9% of patients having high baseline serum IL-6 levels and 62.1% having low levels. Objective response rates were 58.3% and 36.4% in low and high IL-6 groups, respectively. Overall survival and progression-free survival were longer in patients with low IL-6 levels than in those with high levels. High IL-6 levels were related to reduced interferon-γ and tumor necrosis factor-α production from CD8+ T cells. Overall, high baseline serum IL-6 levels were associated with worse survival outcomes and reduced T-cell responses in Pembro/Axi-treated advanced RCC patients.
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Lee WS, Kim DS, Kim JH, Heo Y, Yang H, Go EJ, Kim JH, Lee SJ, Ahn BC, Yum JS, Chon HJ, Kim C. Intratumoral immunotherapy using a TLR2/3 agonist, L-pampo, induces robust antitumor immune responses and enhances immune checkpoint blockade. J Immunother Cancer 2022; 10:jitc-2022-004799. [PMID: 35764365 PMCID: PMC9240943 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2022-004799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are critical innate immune sensors that elicit antitumor immune responses in cancer immunotherapy. Although a few TLR agonists have been approved for the treatment of patients with early-stage superficial cancers, their therapeutic efficacy is limited in patient with advanced invasive cancers. Here, we identified the therapeutic role of a TLR2/3 agonist, L-pampo (LP), which promotes antitumor immunity and enhances the immune checkpoint blockade. METHODS We generated LP by combining a TLR2 agonist, Pam3CSK4, with a TLR3 agonist, Poly (I:C). Immune responses to stimulation with various TLR agonists were compared. Tumor-bearing mice were intratumorally treated with LP, and their tumor sizes were measured. The antitumor effects of LP treatment were determined using flow cytometry, multiplexed imaging, and NanoString nCounter immune profiling. The immunotherapeutic potential of LP in combination with α-programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) or α-cytotoxic T-lymphocytes-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) was evaluated in syngeneic MC38 colon cancer and B16F10 melanoma. RESULTS The LP treatment induced a potent activation of T helper 1 (Th1) and 2 (Th2)-mediated immunity, tumor cell apoptosis, and immunogenic tumor cell death. Intratumoral LP treatment effectively inhibited tumor progression by activating tumor-specific T cell immunity. LP-induced immune responses were mediated by CD8+ T cells and interferon-γ, but not by CD4+ T cells and CD25+ T cells. LP simultaneously activated TLR2 and TLR3 signaling, thereby extensively changing the immune-related gene signatures within the tumor microenvironment (TME). Moreover, intratumoral LP treatment led to systemic abscopal antitumor effects in non-injected distant tumors. Notably, LP treatment combined with ɑPD-1 and ɑCTLA-4 further enhanced the efficacy of monotherapy, resulting in complete tumor regression and prolonged overall survival. Furthermore, LP-based combination immunotherapy elicited durable antitumor immunity with tumor-specific immune memory in colon cancer and melanoma. CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrated that intratumoral LP treatment improves the innate and adaptive antitumor immunity within the TME and enhances the efficacy of αPD-1 and αCTLA-4 immune checkpoint blockade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Won Suk Lee
- Laboratory of Translational Immuno-Oncology, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, Korea (the Republic of).,Medical Oncology, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University School of Medicine, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, Korea (the Republic of)
| | - Dong Sung Kim
- Laboratory of Translational Immuno-Oncology, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, Korea (the Republic of).,Department of Biomedical Science, CHA University, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, Korea (the Republic of)
| | - Jeong Hun Kim
- Laboratory of Translational Immuno-Oncology, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, Korea (the Republic of)
| | - Yoonki Heo
- CHA Vaccine Institute, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, Korea (the Republic of)
| | - Hannah Yang
- Laboratory of Translational Immuno-Oncology, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, Korea (the Republic of).,Medical Oncology, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University School of Medicine, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, Korea (the Republic of)
| | - Eun-Jin Go
- Laboratory of Translational Immuno-Oncology, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, Korea (the Republic of).,Medical Oncology, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University School of Medicine, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, Korea (the Republic of)
| | - Jin Hyoung Kim
- Laboratory of Translational Immuno-Oncology, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, Korea (the Republic of).,Department of Biomedical Science, CHA University, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, Korea (the Republic of)
| | - Seung Joon Lee
- Laboratory of Translational Immuno-Oncology, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, Korea (the Republic of)
| | - Byung Cheol Ahn
- CHA Vaccine Institute, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, Korea (the Republic of)
| | - Jung Sun Yum
- CHA Vaccine Institute, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, Korea (the Republic of)
| | - Hong Jae Chon
- Laboratory of Translational Immuno-Oncology, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, Korea (the Republic of) .,Medical Oncology, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University School of Medicine, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, Korea (the Republic of).,Department of Biomedical Science, CHA University, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, Korea (the Republic of)
| | - Chan Kim
- Laboratory of Translational Immuno-Oncology, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, Korea (the Republic of) .,Medical Oncology, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University School of Medicine, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, Korea (the Republic of).,Department of Biomedical Science, CHA University, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, Korea (the Republic of)
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Yang Q, Hao J, Chi M, Wang Y, Xin B, Huang J, Lu J, Li J, Sun X, Li C, Huo Y, Zhang J, Han Y, Guo C. Superior antitumor immunotherapy efficacy of kynureninase modified CAR-T cells through targeting kynurenine metabolism. Oncoimmunology 2022; 11:2055703. [PMID: 35355679 PMCID: PMC8959528 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2022.2055703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Accumulated oncometabolites in the tumor microenvironment (TME) suppresses the metabolism, expansion, and function of T cells. Immunosuppressive TME also impeded Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-T cells mediated cytotoxicity since CAR-T cells had to adapt the in vivo metabolic characteristics with high levels of oncometabolites. We screened oncometabolites for the inhibition of glucose uptake in CD8 + T cells and found Kynurenine (Kyn) showed the strongest inhibiting effect on glucose uptake. In vitro experiments showed that 120 μM Kyn treatment in CD8 + T cells resulted in inhibiting the expansion of CD8 + T cells, decreasing the production of granzyme B and interferon-γ. CAR-T cells mediated cytotoxicity was also impaired by the high Kyn treatment from killing assay. We then explored the anti-tumor effect of Kynureninase (KYNU) modified CAR-T cells through catabolism o oncometabolites Kyn. KYNU over-expression (OE) CAR-T cells showed a superior killing effect against cancer cells even in the immunosuppressive TME with high Kyn levels. In vivo experiments confirmed KYNU-OE CAR-T cells showed an excellent anti-tumor effect in a TME with high Kyn levels since it improved the survival of mice bearing NALM6 cancer cells and NALM6-IDO1 cancer cells. The KYNU-modified CAR-T cells displayed distinct phenotypes related to the expansion, function, and memory differentiation status of CAR-T cells. This study explores an immunotherapy strategy for patients with alterations in Kyn metabolism. KYNU-OE CAR-T cells take advantage of Kyn catabolism to improve anti-tumor activity in the metabolic immunosuppressive TME with high Kyn.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quanjun Yang
- Department of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Juan Hao
- Hospital, Shanghai University of Chinese MedicineDepartment of Endocrinology, Shanghai TCM-Integrated, Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Mengyi Chi
- Department of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Yaxian Wang
- Department of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Bo Xin
- Department of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Jinglu Huang
- Department of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Jin Lu
- Department of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Jie Li
- Department of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Xipeng Sun
- Department of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Chunyan Li
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Yan Huo
- Department of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Jianping Zhang
- Department of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Yonglong Han
- Department of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Cheng Guo
- Department of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, Shanghai, China
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