1
|
Eresen A, Pang Y, Zhang Z, Hou Q, Chen Z, Yu G, Wang Y, Yaghmai V, Zhang Z. Sorafenib plus memory like natural killer cell combination therapy in hepatocellular carcinoma. Am J Cancer Res 2024; 14:344-354. [PMID: 38323279 PMCID: PMC10839321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Sorafenib, FDA-approved therapy for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), leads to limited improvement in overall survival. However, it may indirectly impact the expansion and activity of natural killer (NK) cells. While NK cell-based immunotherapies generally exhibit favorable safety profiles, their effectiveness in controlling solid tumor growth is constrained, primarily due to the absence of antigen specificity and suboptimal expansion and persistence within the tumor microenvironment. In this study, we postulated that enhancing NK cell functionality via cytokine activation could bolster their viability and cytotoxic capabilities, leading to an improved therapeutic response when combined with sorafenib. Memory-like (ML)-NK cells were generated through the supplementation of optimal concentrations of interleukin (IL)-12 and IL-18 cytokines. Following a single day of treatment, cytotoxicity against rat and human HCC cells was evaluated via flow cytometry analysis. A rat HCC model was developed in 30 animals via subcapsular implantation and assigned to control, NK, sorafenib, ML-NK, and combination groups. Sorafenib was administered orally, and NK cells were delivered via the intrahepatic artery. Tumor growth was measured one week after treatment evaluation. Therapeutic efficacy during in-vitro and in-vivo analysis was investigated through a one-way ANOVA test, followed by pairwise two-tailed Student t-tests, considering P < 0.05 statistically significant. The in-vitro experiment results demonstrated that sorafenib and conventional NK cell therapies induced more substantial cell death than the control group (P < 0.01). ML NK cells significantly improved cell death compared to conventional NK cell immunotherapy. Furthermore, sorafenib in combination with ML-NK cells significantly decreased the viability of HCC cells (P < 0.05) compared to sorafenib plus conventional NK cell combination therapy. In vivo experiments have shown that sorafenib and ML-NK cell immunotherapy reduced the growth rate of HCC tumors compared to conventional NK immunotherapy and control groups. Notably, a combination of sorafenib and ML-NK cell immunochemotherapy resulted in the most significant suppression of tumor growth when compared to other therapies. In conclusion, our experimental findings demonstrate that the concurrent administration of sorafenib and ML-NK immunotherapy enhances cytotoxicity against HCC by optimizing the therapeutic response through cytokine activation, resulting in a significant decrease in tumor growth.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aydin Eresen
- Department of Radiological Sciences, University of California IrvineIrvine, CA, USA
| | - Yongsheng Pang
- Department of Radiological Sciences, University of California IrvineIrvine, CA, USA
| | - Zigeng Zhang
- Department of Radiological Sciences, University of California IrvineIrvine, CA, USA
| | - Qiaoming Hou
- Department of Radiological Sciences, University of California IrvineIrvine, CA, USA
| | - Zhilin Chen
- Department of Human Biology and Business Administration, University of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Guangbo Yu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California IrvineIrvine, CA, USA
| | - Yining Wang
- Department of Radiology, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical CollegeBeijing, China
| | - Vahid Yaghmai
- Department of Radiological Sciences, University of California IrvineIrvine, CA, USA
- Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California IrvineIrvine, CA, USA
| | - Zhuoli Zhang
- Department of Radiological Sciences, University of California IrvineIrvine, CA, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California IrvineIrvine, CA, USA
- Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California IrvineIrvine, CA, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California IrvineIrvine, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Brooks AJ, Putoczki T. JAK-STAT Signalling Pathway in Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12071971. [PMID: 32698360 PMCID: PMC7409105 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12071971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2020] [Accepted: 07/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J. Brooks
- The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, The University of Queensland, Translational Research Institute, Qld 4072, Australia
- Correspondence:
| | - Tracy Putoczki
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC 3052, Australia;
| |
Collapse
|