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Guo Y, Xue L, Tang W, Xiong J, Chen D, Dai Y, Wu C, Wei S, Dai J, Wu M, Wang S. Ovarian microenvironment: challenges and opportunities in protecting against chemotherapy-associated ovarian damage. Hum Reprod Update 2024:dmae020. [PMID: 38942605 DOI: 10.1093/humupd/dmae020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 04/27/2024] [Indexed: 06/30/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chemotherapy-associated ovarian damage (CAOD) is one of the most feared short- and long-term side effects of anticancer treatment in premenopausal women. Accumulating detailed data show that different chemotherapy regimens can lead to disturbance of ovarian hormone levels, reduced or lost fertility, and an increased risk of early menopause. Previous studies have often focused on the direct effects of chemotherapeutic drugs on ovarian follicles, such as direct DNA damage-mediated apoptotic death and primordial follicle burnout. Emerging evidence has revealed an imbalance in the ovarian microenvironment during chemotherapy. The ovarian microenvironment provides nutritional support and transportation of signals that stimulate the growth and development of follicles, ovulation, and corpus luteum formation. The close interaction between the ovarian microenvironment and follicles can determine ovarian function. Therefore, designing novel and precise strategies to manipulate the ovarian microenvironment may be a new strategy to protect ovarian function during chemotherapy. OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE This review details the changes that occur in the ovarian microenvironment during chemotherapy and emphasizes the importance of developing new therapeutics that protect ovarian function by targeting the ovarian microenvironment during chemotherapy. SEARCH METHODS A comprehensive review of the literature was performed by searching PubMed up to April 2024. Search terms included 'ovarian microenvironment' (ovarian extracellular matrix, ovarian stromal cells, ovarian interstitial, ovarian blood vessels, ovarian lymphatic vessels, ovarian macrophages, ovarian lymphocytes, ovarian immune cytokines, ovarian oxidative stress, ovarian reactive oxygen species, ovarian senescence cells, ovarian senescence-associated secretory phenotypes, ovarian oogonial stem cells, ovarian stem cells), terms related to ovarian function (reproductive health, fertility, infertility, fecundity, ovarian reserve, ovarian function, menopause, decreased ovarian reserve, premature ovarian insufficiency/failure), and terms related to chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide, lfosfamide, chlormethine, chlorambucil, busulfan, melphalan, procarbazine, cisplatin, doxorubicin, carboplatin, taxane, paclitaxel, docetaxel, 5-fluorouraci, vincristine, methotrexate, dactinomycin, bleomycin, mercaptopurine). OUTCOMES The ovarian microenvironment shows great changes during chemotherapy, inducing extracellular matrix deposition and stromal fibrosis, angiogenesis disorders, immune microenvironment disturbance, oxidative stress imbalances, ovarian stem cell exhaustion, and cell senescence, thereby lowering the quantity and quality of ovarian follicles. Several methods targeting the ovarian microenvironment have been adopted to prevent and treat CAOD, such as stem cell therapy and the use of free radical scavengers, senolytherapies, immunomodulators, and proangiogenic factors. WIDER IMPLICATIONS Ovarian function is determined by its 'seeds' (follicles) and 'soil' (ovarian microenvironment). The ovarian microenvironment has been reported to play a vital role in CAOD and targeting the ovarian microenvironment may present potential therapeutic approaches for CAOD. However, the relation between the ovarian microenvironment, its regulatory networks, and CAOD needs to be further studied. A better understanding of these issues could be helpful in explaining the pathogenesis of CAOD and creating innovative strategies for counteracting the effects exerted on ovarian function. Our aim is that this narrative review of CAOD will stimulate more research in this important field. REGISTRATION NUMBER Not applicable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yican Guo
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Obstetrical and Gynecological Diseases, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Invasion and Metastasis, Ministry of Education, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Liru Xue
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Obstetrical and Gynecological Diseases, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Invasion and Metastasis, Ministry of Education, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Weicheng Tang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Obstetrical and Gynecological Diseases, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Invasion and Metastasis, Ministry of Education, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Jiaqiang Xiong
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Dan Chen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Obstetrical and Gynecological Diseases, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Invasion and Metastasis, Ministry of Education, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Yun Dai
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Obstetrical and Gynecological Diseases, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Invasion and Metastasis, Ministry of Education, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Chuqing Wu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Obstetrical and Gynecological Diseases, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Invasion and Metastasis, Ministry of Education, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Simin Wei
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Obstetrical and Gynecological Diseases, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Invasion and Metastasis, Ministry of Education, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Jun Dai
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Obstetrical and Gynecological Diseases, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Invasion and Metastasis, Ministry of Education, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Meng Wu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Obstetrical and Gynecological Diseases, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Invasion and Metastasis, Ministry of Education, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Shixuan Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Obstetrical and Gynecological Diseases, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Invasion and Metastasis, Ministry of Education, Wuhan, Hubei, China
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Siyu Y, Shixiao Z, Congying S, Xinqin Z, Zhen H, Xiaoying W. Advances in cytokine-based herbal medicine against premature ovarian insufficiency: A review. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2024; 333:118477. [PMID: 38909824 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2024.118477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2024] [Revised: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 06/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/25/2024]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) refers to a dramatic decrease in the number and/or quality of oocytes in the ovaries before the age of 40 years, and is a key cause of female infertility. The prevalence of POI has been increasing annually and tends to be younger. Researches on the etiology of POI and related pathogenesis are still very limited. Herbal medicine can treat many gynecological diseases. And herbal medicine is effective in reproductive health care such as infertility. In recent years, it has been found that immune modulation by cytokines (CK) can prevent or intervene in POI, and herbal medicine can treat POI by regulating CK to improve ovarian function and fertility. AIM OF THE STUDY This review presents an overview of the molecular mechanisms of regulation of POI related CK, and reports the therapeutic effect of herbal medicine on POI including herbal medicine formulas, single herbal medicine, herbal medicine active components and acupuncture. This review provides theoretical support for clinical prevention and treatment of POI, and provides new ideas for researches on herbal medicine treatment of POI. MATERIALS AND METHODS We performed a collection of relevant scientific articles from different scientific databases regarding the therapeutic effect of herbal medicine on POI by regulating CK, including PubMed, Web of Science, Wanfang Database, CNKI and other publication resources. The search terms used in this review include, 'premature ovarian insufficiency', 'premature ovarian failure (POF)', 'infertility', 'herbal medicine', 'acupuncture', 'cytokine', 'interleukin (IL)', 'tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)', 'interferon-γ (IFN-γ)', 'transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)', 'vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)', 'immune' and 'inflammation'. This review summarized and analyzed the therapeutic effect of herbal medicine according to the existing experimental and clinical researches. RESULTS The results showed that herbal medicine treats POI through CK (including ILs, TNF-α, INF-γ, VEGF, TGF-β and others) and related signaling pathways, which regulates reproductive hormones disorder, reduces ovarian inflammatory damage, oxidative stress, apoptosis and follicular atresia, improves ovarian pathological damage and ovarian reserve function. CONCLUSIONS This review enriches the theory of POI treatments based on herbal medicine by regulating CK. The specific mechanisms of action and clinical researches on the treatment of POI by herbal medicine should be strengthened in order to promote the application of herbal medicine in the clinic and provide new ideas and better choices for the treatment of POI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Siyu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Pharmacology of Traditional Chinese Medical Formulae, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China; State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China; School of Chinese Materia Medica, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China
| | - Zhu Shixiao
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Pharmacology of Traditional Chinese Medical Formulae, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China; State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China; School of Chinese Materia Medica, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China
| | - Sun Congying
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Pharmacology of Traditional Chinese Medical Formulae, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China; State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China; School of Chinese Materia Medica, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China
| | - Zhong Xinqin
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Pharmacology of Traditional Chinese Medical Formulae, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China; State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China; School of Chinese Materia Medica, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China
| | - Hu Zhen
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Pharmacology of Traditional Chinese Medical Formulae, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China; School of Chinese Materia Medica, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China
| | - Wang Xiaoying
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Pharmacology of Traditional Chinese Medical Formulae, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China; State Key Laboratory of Component-based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China; School of Chinese Materia Medica, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, 301617, China.
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Carbone L, Di Girolamo R, Conforti A, Iorio GG, Simeon V, Landi D, Marfia GA, Lanzillo R, Alviggi C. Ovarian reserve in patients with multiple sclerosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 2023; 163:11-22. [PMID: 37017322 DOI: 10.1002/ijgo.14757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Revised: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/06/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To summarize recent evidence about ovarian reserve markers in women affected by multiple sclerosis (MS) compared with healthy controls, as women with MS seem to be characterized by lower anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels. METHODS The research was conducted using PubMed (MEDLINE), Scopus, ClinicalTrial.gov, OVID and Cochrane Library from inception of each database to June 30, 2022. Studies comparing ovarian reserve markers between women with MS and healthy controls were considered eligible for inclusion. The primary outcome was serum AMH (ng/mL) levels. Results were reported as pooled odds ratio (OR) for categorical outcomes and as mean difference (MD) for continuous variables, with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The random effect model of DerSimonian and Laird was adopted for all analyses. A P-value less than 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS Serum AMH circulating levels were not significantly different (MD -0.25, 95% CI -0.83 to 0.32; P = 0.390), as well as blood levels of follicle-stimulating hormone or ovarian volume. However, antral follicle count (AFC) and estradiol blood levels were significantly lower, and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels were significantly higher in women with MS than in controls. CONCLUSION A significant difference in AFC, estradiol and LH levels was observed, but not for AMH levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luigi Carbone
- Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Sciences and Dentistry, School of Medicine, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Raffaella Di Girolamo
- Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Sciences and Dentistry, School of Medicine, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Alessandro Conforti
- Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Sciences and Dentistry, School of Medicine, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Gabriele Iorio
- Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Sciences and Dentistry, School of Medicine, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Vittorio Simeon
- Department of Mental Health and Public Medicine, Unit of Medical Statistics, Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy
| | - Doriana Landi
- Multiple Sclerosis Clinical and Research Unit, University Hospital of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Roberta Lanzillo
- Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Sciences and Dentistry, School of Medicine, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Carlo Alviggi
- Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Sciences and Dentistry, School of Medicine, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
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Zhang L, Song Y, Dai X, Xu W, Li M, Zhu Y. Inhibition of IDH3α Enhanced the Efficacy of Chemoimmunotherapy by Regulating Acidic Tumor Microenvironments. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:cancers15061802. [PMID: 36980689 PMCID: PMC10046804 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15061802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent years, chemoimmunotherapy has become effective in some advanced cancers, but its effect is still limited. Transcriptional upregulation of isocitrate dehydrogenase 3α (IDH3α) can promote tumor initiation and progression. However, it is not clear whether the aberrant expression of IDH3α is related to the efficacy of chemoimmunotherapy in cancers. Here, we found that IDH3α was elevated in uterine cervical cancer (UCC) and lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) samples by using public databases. High expression of IDH3α could promote the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), alter the intracellular redox status, promote glycolysis, and induce an acidic microenvironments in cancer cells. Furthermore, we found that inhibition of IDH3α combined with chemoimmunotherapy (cisplatin and programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) antibodies) activated the cGAS–STING pathway, promoted CD8+ T cell infiltration, and decreased tumor growth in mouse models of cervical cancer. In conclusion, our data indicate that silencing IDH3α sensitizes tumors to chemoimmunotherapy by modulating the acidic microenvironment and activating the cGAS–STING pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingling Zhang
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Yang Song
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Xiaoyan Dai
- Cancer Center, Daping Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing 400042, China
| | - Wenwen Xu
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Mengxia Li
- Cancer Center, Daping Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing 400042, China
- Correspondence: (M.L.); (Y.Z.)
| | - Yuxi Zhu
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
- Department of Oncology, Jinshan Hospital of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
- Correspondence: (M.L.); (Y.Z.)
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Zhao N, Zhang C, Wu Y, Ding J, Wang F, Cheng W, Li H, Zhu R. ROS-CCL5 axis recruits CD8 + T lymphocytes promoting the apoptosis of granulosa cells in diminished ovary reserve. J Reprod Immunol 2023; 155:103789. [PMID: 36603466 DOI: 10.1016/j.jri.2022.103789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Follicular atresia was initiated with the apoptosis of granulosa cells (GCs) mostly mediated by oxidative stress (OS). Our previous studies found that the number of CD8+ T cells and proportion of CD8+/CD4+ T cells increased in the follicles of diminished ovary reserve (DOR). However, the mechanism was still poorly explored. Herein, our results showed that the level of H2O2 in follicular fluid (FF) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in GCs were increased, while the expression of SOD1, SOD2 and GPX1 was down-regulated in GCs with DOR. In addition, we found that OS within a certain range promoted the expression of CCL5 in GCs, which facilitated the infiltration of CD8+ T cells to the follicles. In vitro co-culture experiment showed that CD8+ T cells inhibited GCs proliferation and promoted their apoptosis through intrinsic apoptosis pathway. Maraviroc, the CCR5 antagonist, alleviated CCL5-induced immune attack of CD8+ T cells. Our results indicated that ROS-CCL5 axis recruited CD8+ T cells into FF resulting in the apoptosis of GCs in DOR. This has further implications for the understanding of the pathology of DOR and searching for the therapeutic management of this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nannan Zhao
- Center for Human Reproduction and Genetics, Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou 215002, China; State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China
| | - Ce Zhang
- Center for Human Reproduction and Genetics, Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou 215002, China; State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China
| | - Yanan Wu
- Center for Human Reproduction and Genetics, Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou 215002, China; State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China
| | - Jie Ding
- Center for Human Reproduction and Genetics, Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou 215002, China; State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China
| | - Fuxin Wang
- Center for Human Reproduction and Genetics, Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou 215002, China; State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China
| | - Wei Cheng
- Center for Human Reproduction and Genetics, Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou 215002, China; State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China
| | - Hong Li
- Center for Human Reproduction and Genetics, Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou 215002, China; State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China.
| | - Rui Zhu
- Center for Human Reproduction and Genetics, Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou 215002, China; State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China.
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Qiu J, Xu L, Zeng X, Wu H, Liang F, Lv Q, Du Z. CCL5 mediates breast cancer metastasis and prognosis through CCR5/Treg cells. Front Oncol 2022; 12:972383. [PMID: 36033472 PMCID: PMC9399502 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.972383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and aims CCL5 is considered to contribute to the biological function of a variety of cancer types, but its specific mechanism is still unclear. This study aimed to reveal the mechanism of CCL5 in the invasion, metastasis, and prognosis of breast cancer. Methods The expression of CCL5 in tumor tissue and serum was measured with a Luminex protein detection kit, and the correlation between CCL5 and clinical parameters was evaluated. Kaplan–Meier analysis was used to analyze the effect of CCL5 on the prognosis of breast cancer patients. Protein interaction network analysis and gene coexpression were used to determine the receptor that has the strongest interaction with CCL5. Enrichment analysis was used to study the possible pathway by which CCL5 affects breast cancer progression. We used immunofluorescence staining and flow cytometry to estimate the fraction of immunity-related components in the tumor microenvironment. Results The expression level of CCL5 in breast cancer patients was positively correlated with the degree of axillary lymph node metastasis; CCL5 in tumor tissue was correlated with estrogen receptor status (P = 0.034), progesterone receptor (P = 0.009), nuclear grade (P = 0.013), clinical stage (P < 0.001) and molecular subtype (P = 0.024) in breast cancer patients. Breast cancer patients with high CCL5 expression had worse disease-free survival (P = 0.031) and breast cancer-specific survival (P = 0.043); however, CCL5 had no effect on overall survival (P = 0.077). CCL5 affected tumor progression through CCR5, and the T-cell-related immune pathway may be the main pathway; the CD4+/CD8+, CCR5+/CD4+ and Treg/CCR5+ cell ratios were significantly increased in the lymph node metastasis group. Conclusion CCL5 affects the Treg/CD4+CCR5+ cell ratio in breast cancer patients through CCR5, thus affecting breast cancer metastasis and prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juanjuan Qiu
- Department of Breast Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- Key Laboratory of Transplant Engineering and Immunology NHC, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Li Xu
- Department of Breast Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiaohong Zeng
- Department of Breast Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Hao Wu
- Department of Breast Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- Key Laboratory of Transplant Engineering and Immunology NHC, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Faqing Liang
- Department of Breast Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Qing Lv
- Department of Breast Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- *Correspondence: Zhenggui Du, ; Qing Lv,
| | - Zhenggui Du
- Department of Breast Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- *Correspondence: Zhenggui Du, ; Qing Lv,
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