The Role of the Immune System in IBD-Associated Colorectal Cancer: From Pro to Anti-Tumorigenic Mechanisms

Effects of Pistacia genus on gastrointestinal tract disorders: A systematic and comprehensive review

Gastrointestinal (GI) disorders characterized by persistent and recurrence gastrointestinal symptoms are prevalent. The genus Pistacia is widely emphasized as the relief of gastrointestinal diseases in traditional medicine. This review aimed to investigate the latest evidence on the effect of the Pistacia genus on GI tract disorders. The systematic search was performed following to PRISMA guidelines. The databases PubMed and Scopus were searched from 1980 to 2022 with restrictions to the original studies. Electronic databases were searched in title/abstract, using the keywords relevant to GI tract disorders. Forty-eight studies were included in this review following the inclusion criteria. Fifteen and 22 studies were clinical and animal studies, respectively, of which 6 clinical and 13 animal studies were on Inflammatory Bowel diseases. Seven clinical studies were on functional GI disorders. The most pieces of evidence from animal and clinical studies were on the intestinal inflammation and peptic ulcer affecting the inflammation as well as oxidative stress through different mechanistic pathways. The most referred active phytochemicals seem to be terpenoid compounds. Various in vitro studies have also shown the inhibitory activity of the different plant parts of Pistacia herbs on several GI tract cancer cells. Available scientific evidence supports the effects of various components of Pistacia genus plants in the field of GI tract diseases, especially digestive inflammations. Further studies are required to systematically evaluate the natural products of the genus Pistacia, particularly in the context of digestive disorders.

Allulose mitigates chronic enteritis by reducing mitochondria dysfunction via regulating cathepsin B production

Metabolic changes have been linked to the development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes colitis. Allulose, an endogenous bioactive monosaccharide, is vital to the synthesis of numerous compounds and metabolic processes within living organisms. Nevertheless, the precise biochemical mechanism by which allulose inhibits colitis remains unknown. Allulose is an essential and intrinsic protector of the intestinal mucosal barrier, as it maintains the integrity of tight junctions in the intestines, according to the current research. It is also important to know that there is a link between the severity of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal cancer (CRC), chemically-induced colitis in rodents, and lower levels of allulose in the blood. Mice with colitis, either caused by dextran sodium sulphate (DSS) or naturally occurring colitis in IL-10-/- mice, had less damage to their intestinal mucosa after being given allulose. Giving allulose to a colitis model starts a chain of reactions because it stops cathepsin B from ejecting and helps lysosomes stick together. This system effectively stops the activity of myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) when intestinal epithelial damage happens. This stops the breakdown of tight junction integrity and the start of mitochondrial dysfunction. To summarise, the study's findings have presented data that supports the advantageous impact of allulose in reducing the advancement of colitis. Its ability to stop the disruption of the intestinal barrier enables this. Therefore, allulose has potential as a medicinal supplement for treating colitis.

New sights of immunometabolism and agent progress in colitis associated colorectal cancer

Colitis associated colorectal cancer is a disease with a high incidence and complex course that develops from chronic inflammation and deteriorates after various immune responses and inflammation-induced attacks. Colitis associated colorectal cancer has the characteristics of both immune diseases and cancer, and the similarity of treatment models contributes to the similar treatment dilemma. Immunometabolism contributes to the basis of life and is the core of many immune diseases. Manipulating metabolic signal transduction can be an effective way to control the immune process, which is expected to become a new target for colitis associated colorectal cancer therapy. Immune cells participate in the whole process of colitis associated colorectal cancer development by transforming their functional condition via changing their metabolic ways, such as glucose, lipid, and amino acid metabolism. The same immune and metabolic processes may play different roles in inflammation, dysplasia, and carcinoma, so anti-inflammation agents, immunomodulators, and agents targeting special metabolism should be used in combination to prevent and inhibit the development of colitis associated colorectal cancer.

Role of glycolysis in inflammatory bowel disease and its associated colorectal cancer

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been referred to as the "green cancer," and its progression to colorectal cancer (CRC) poses a significant challenge for the medical community. A common factor in their development is glycolysis, a crucial metabolic mechanism of living organisms, which is also involved in other diseases. In IBD, glycolysis affects gastrointestinal components such as the intestinal microbiota, mucosal barrier function, and the immune system, including macrophages, dendritic cells, T cells, and neutrophils, while in CRC, it is linked to various pathways, such as phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and transcription factors such as p53, Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF), and c-Myc. Thus, a comprehensive study of glycolysis is essential for a better understanding of the pathogenesis and therapeutic targets of both IBD and CRC. This paper reviews the role of glycolysis in diseases, particularly IBD and CRC, via its effects on the intestinal microbiota, immunity, barrier integrity, signaling pathways, transcription factors and some therapeutic strategies targeting glycolytic enzymes.

He protec but he also attac - Inflammasomes swinging the sword

This issue of the Biomedical Journal puts an emphasis on inflammasome subunits, the NLR protein family, and the role they play in immunity. CIITA is presented as promising tool for augmenting tumor immunogenicity. Several articles look into the involvement of NLRP3 in inflammatory bowel disease and changes of the gut microbiome, in blood glucose management, in sterile inflammation, and NLRP3's contribution to the development of hepatic encephalopathy. Furthermore, a review concerning small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the cervix is presented, insights are provided as to the association of knee pain and patellar malalignment, and the connection between hypoxia and sleep apnea in the case of liver injury is elucidated. Additional articles illuminate the challenge of predicting influenza infections; show how ctDNA may serve as predictor for survival outcome in ovarian carcinoma; and lastly soft tissue changes after bimaxillary rotational surgery are assessed.

Exploring the glycolytic cross-talk genes between inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have a higher risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC). Glycolysis is involved in the development of both IBD and CRC. However, the mechanisms and outcomes of glycolysis shared between IBD and CRC remain unclear. This study aimed to explore the glycolytic cross-talk genes between IBD and CRC integrating bioinformatics and machine learning. With WGCNA, LASSO, COX, and SVM-RFE algorithms, P4HA1 and PMM2 were identified as glycolytic cross-talk genes. The independent risk signature of P4HA1 and PMM2 was constructed to predict the overall survival rate of patients with CRC. The risk signature correlated with clinical characteristics, prognosis, tumor microenvironment, immune checkpoint, mutants, cancer stemness, and chemotherapeutic drug sensitivity. CRC patients with high risk have increased microsatellite instability, tumor mutation burden. The nomogram integrating risk score, tumor stage, and age showed high accuracy for predicting overall survival rate. In addition, the diagnostic model for IBD based on P4HA1 and PMM2 showed excellent accuracy. Finally, immunohistochemistry results showed that P4HA1 and PMM2 were significantly upregulated in IBD and CRC. Our study reveals the presence of glycolytic cross-talk genes P4HA1 and PMM2 between IBD and CRC. This may prove to be beneficial in advancing research on the mechanism of development of IBD-associated CRC.

Role of Interleukins in Inflammation-Mediated Tumor Immune Microenvironment Modulation in Colorectal Cancer Pathogenesis

INTRODUCTION

Tumor cells invade and spread through a procedure termed as epithelial-to-mesenchymal cell transition (EMT). EMT is triggered by any alterations in the genes that encode the extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, the enzymes that break down the ECM, and the activation of the genes that causes the epithelial cell to change into a mesenchymal type. The transcription factors NF-κB, Smads, STAT3, Snail, Zeb, and Twist are activated by inflammatory cytokines, for instance, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Tumor Growth Factors, Interleukin-1, Interleukin-8, and Interleukin-6, which promotes EMT.

MATERIALS

The current piece of work has been reviewed from the literature works published in last 10 years on the role interleukins in inflammation-mediated tumor immune microenvironment modulation in colorectal cancer pathogenesis utilizing the databases like Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct.

RESULTS

Recent studies have demonstrated that pathological situations, such as epithelial malignancies, exhibit EMT characteristics, such as the downregulation of epithelial markers and the overexpression of mesenchymal markers. Several growing evidence have also proved its existence in the human colon during the carcinogenesis of colorectal cancer. Most often, persistent inflammation is thought to be one factor contributing to the initiation of human cancers, such as colorectal cancer (CRC). Therefore, according to epidemiologic and clinical research, people with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease have a greater probability of developing CRC.

CONCLUSION

A substantial amount of data points to the involvement of the NF-κB system, SMAD/STAT3 signaling cascade, microRNAs, and the Ras-mitogen-activated protein kinase/Snail/Slug in the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition-mediated development of colorectal malignancies. As a result, EMT is reported to play an active task in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer, and therapeutic interventions targeting the inflammation-mediated EMT might serve as a novel strategy for treating CRC. The illustration depicts the relationship between interleukins and their receptors as a driver of CRC development and the potential therapeutic targets.

Experimental Murine Models for Colorectal Cancer Research

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most prevalent malignancy worldwide and in both sexes. Numerous animal models for CRC have been established to study its biology, namely carcinogen-induced models (CIMs) and genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs). CIMs are valuable for assessing colitis-related carcinogenesis and studying chemoprevention. On the other hand, CRC GEMMs have proven to be useful for evaluating the tumor microenvironment and systemic immune responses, which have contributed to the discovery of novel therapeutic approaches. Although metastatic disease can be induced by orthotopic injection of CRC cell lines, the resulting models are not representative of the full genetic diversity of the disease due to the limited number of cell lines suitable for this purpose. On the other hand, patient-derived xenografts (PDX) are the most reliable for preclinical drug development due to their ability to retain pathological and molecular characteristics. In this review, the authors discuss the various murine CRC models with a focus on their clinical relevance, benefits, and drawbacks. From all models discussed, murine CRC models will continue to be an important tool in advancing our understanding and treatment of this disease, but additional research is required to find a model that can correctly reflect the pathophysiology of CRC.

Inflammation-Driven Colorectal Cancer Associated with Colitis: From Pathogenesis to Changing Therapy

Patients affected by inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have a two-fold higher risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC) than the general population. IBD-related CRC follows a different genetic and molecular pathogenic pathway than sporadic CRC and can be considered a complication of chronic intestinal inflammation. Since inflammation is recognised as an independent risk factor for neoplastic progression, clinicians strive to modulate and control disease, often using potent therapy agents to achieve mucosal healing and decrease the risk of colorectal cancer in IBD patients. Improved therapeutic control of inflammation, combined with endoscopic advances and early detection of pre-cancerous lesions through surveillance programs, explains the lower incidence rate of IBD-related CRC. In addition, current research is increasingly focused on translating emerging and advanced knowledge in microbiome and metagenomics into personalised, early, and non-invasive CRC screening tools that guide organ-sparing therapy in IBD patients. This review aims to summarise the existing literature on IBD-associated CRC, focusing on new insights into the alteration of the intestinal barrier and the interactions with the gut microbiome as the initial promoter. In addition, the role of OMIC techniques for precision medicine and the impact of the available IBD therapeutic armamentarium on the evolution to CRC will be discussed.

Development of an immune-related gene prognostic risk model and identification of an immune infiltration signature in the tumor microenvironment of colon cancer

BACKGROUND

Colon cancer is a common and highly malignant tumor. Its incidence is increasing rapidly with poor prognosis. At present, immunotherapy is a rapidly developing treatment for colon cancer. The aim of this study was to construct a prognostic risk model based on immune genes for early diagnosis and accurate prognostic prediction of colon cancer.

METHODS

Transcriptome data and clinical data were downloaded from the cancer Genome Atlas database. Immunity genes were obtained from ImmPort database. The differentially expressed transcription factors (TFs) were obtained from Cistrome database. Differentially expressed (DE) immune genes were identified in 473 cases of colon cancer and 41 cases of normal adjacent tissues. An immune-related prognostic model of colon cancer was established and its clinical applicability was verified. Among 318 tumor-related transcription factors, differentially expressed transcription factors were finally obtained, and a regulatory network was constructed according to the up-down regulatory relationship.

RESULTS

A total of 477 DE immune genes (180 up-regulated and 297 down-regulated) were detected. We developed and validated twelve immune gene models for colon cancer, including SLC10A2, FABP4, FGF2, CCL28, IGKV1-6, IGLV6-57, ESM1, UCN, UTS2, VIP, IL1RL2, NGFR. The model was proved to be an independent prognostic variable with good prognostic ability. A total of 68 DE TFs (40 up-regulated and 23 down-regulated) were obtained. The regulation network between TF and immune genes was plotted by using TF as source node and immune genes as target node. In addition, Macrophage, Myeloid Dendritic cell and CD4⁺ T cell increased with the increase of risk score.

CONCLUSION

We developed and validated twelve immune gene models for colon cancer, including SLC10A2, FABP4, FGF2, CCL28, IGKV1-6, IGLV6-57, ESM1, UCN, UTS2, VIP, IL1RL2, NGFR. This model can be used as a tool variable to predict the prognosis of colon cancer.

Fecal Microbiota Transplantation as a Cancer Therapeutic

ABSTRACT

For decades, cancer research and treatment focused on the cellular level, viewing cancer as a genetic disease of cell transformation. In the era of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, studies from the second half of the 19th century suggesting an association between the microbiota and cancer were almost neglected. The main focus of the field was limited to identification of specific viruses and bacteria that may serve as direct carcinogens leading to the recognition of 7 viruses (i.e., human papillomavirus, hepatitis B virus, and Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus) and 1 bacterium (Helicobacter pylori) as human carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (https://monographs.iarc.who.int/agents-classified-by-the-iarc/). Shortly after the publication of the first draft of the human genome project in February 2001, the Nobel laureate microbiologist Joshua Lederberg raised the question: "Is human identity all in the genes?" It took more than a decade later and the development of multiomic techniques to confirm that his answer "each one of us is a small ecological community" was correct (Lederberg J. Keynote Address: Beyond the Genome. Brooklyn Law Rev 67). This ecological notion became relevant to cancer prevention, prediction, and treatment following the immunotherapy revolution and the understanding of the metabolic and immunologic roles of the microbiota in health and disease. Recently, the microbiota was recognized as an emerging hallmark of cancer following a large body of research showing its role in tumorigenesis, treatment efficacy and toxicity, and initial data regarding the role of microbial modulation in cancer therapy (Cancer Discov 2022;12(1):31-46). In the current review, we will focus on the role of fecal microbiota transplantation, the first microbial modulation technique that is used mainly in low-complexity conditions such as recurrent Clostridium difficile infections (Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2017;46(5):479-493), as a possible cancer therapeutic. However, to better understand the suggested roles of fecal microbiota transplantation in medical oncology, we first need to understand cancer as an ecological niche and the role of the microbiota in tumorigenesis and cancer treatment, specifically immunotherapy.

Identification of Novel Core Genes Involved in Malignant Transformation of Inflamed Colon Tissue Using a Computational Biology Approach and Verification in Murine Models

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a complex and multifactorial systemic disorder of the gastrointestinal tract and is strongly associated with the development of colorectal cancer. Despite extensive studies of IBD pathogenesis, the molecular mechanism of colitis-driven tumorigenesis is not yet fully understood. In the current animal-based study, we report a comprehensive bioinformatics analysis of multiple transcriptomics datasets from the colon tissue of mice with acute colitis and colitis-associated cancer (CAC). We performed intersection of differentially expressed genes (DEGs), their functional annotation, reconstruction, and topology analysis of gene association networks, which, when combined with the text mining approach, revealed that a set of key overexpressed genes involved in the regulation of colitis (C3, Tyrobp, Mmp3, Mmp9, Timp1) and CAC (Timp1, Adam8, Mmp7, Mmp13) occupied hub positions within explored colitis- and CAC-related regulomes. Further validation of obtained data in murine models of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis and azoxymethane/DSS-stimulated CAC fully confirmed the association of revealed hub genes with inflammatory and malignant lesions of colon tissue and demonstrated that genes encoding matrix metalloproteinases (acute colitis: Mmp3, Mmp9; CAC: Mmp7, Mmp13) can be used as a novel prognostic signature for colorectal neoplasia in IBD. Finally, using publicly available transcriptomics data, translational bridge interconnecting of listed colitis/CAC-associated core genes with the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, and colorectal cancer in humans was identified. Taken together, a set of key genes playing a core function in colon inflammation and CAC was revealed, which can serve both as promising molecular markers and therapeutic targets to control IBD and IBD-associated colorectal neoplasia.

Telenutrition for the management of inflammatory bowel disease: Benefits, limits, and future perspectives

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) require lifelong and personalized care by a multidisciplinary healthcare team. However, the traditional medical model is not ideal for patients who require continuous close monitoring and whose symptoms may dramatically worsen between regularly scheduled visits. Additionally, close dietary follow-up and monitoring of IBD in a traditional setting are challenging because of the disease complexity, high pressure on outpatient clinics with a small number of IBD specialist dietitians, and rising incidence. Given the significant burden of IBD, there is a need to develop effective dietary management strategies. The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic caused an unprecedented shift from in-person care to delivering health care via technological remote devices. Traditional nutrition therapy and consultation can be provided by telenutrition through remote electronic communication applications that could greatly benefit patient care. Telenutrition might be useful, safe, and cost-effective compared with standard care. It is likely that virtual care for chronic diseases including IBD will continue in some form into the future. This review article summarizes the evidence about telenutrition applications in the management of IBD patients, and we gave an overview of the acceptance and impact of these interventions on health outcomes.

Development of a 32-gene signature using machine learning for accurate prediction of inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory condition caused by multiple genetic and environmental factors. Numerous genes are implicated in the etiology of IBD, but the diagnosis of IBD is challenging. Here, XGBoost, a machine learning prediction model, has been used to distinguish IBD from healthy cases following elaborative feature selection. Using combined unsupervised clustering analysis and the XGBoost feature selection method, we successfully identified a 32-gene signature that can predict IBD occurrence in new cohorts with 0.8651 accuracy. The signature shows enrichment in neutrophil extracellular trap formation and cytokine signaling in the immune system. The probability threshold of the XGBoost-based classification model can be adjusted to fit personalized lifestyle and health status. Therefore, this study reveals potential IBD-related biomarkers that facilitate an effective personalized diagnosis of IBD.

PR1P, a VEGF-stabilizing peptide, reduces injury and inflammation in acute lung injury and ulcerative colitis animal models

Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) and Ulcerative Colitis (UC) are each characterized by tissue damage and uncontrolled inflammation. Neutrophils and other inflammatory cells play a primary role in disease progression by acutely responding to direct and indirect insults to tissue injury and by promoting inflammation through secretion of inflammatory cytokines and proteases. Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) is a ubiquitous signaling molecule that plays a key role in maintaining and promoting cell and tissue health, and is dysregulated in both ARDS and UC. Recent evidence suggests a role for VEGF in mediating inflammation, however, the molecular mechanism by which this occurs is not well understood. We recently showed that PR1P, a 12-amino acid peptide that binds to and upregulates VEGF, stabilizes VEGF from degradation by inflammatory proteases such as elastase and plasmin thereby limiting the production of VEGF degradation products (fragmented VEGF (fVEGF)). Here we show that fVEGF is a neutrophil chemoattractant in vitro and that PR1P can be used to reduce neutrophil migration in vitro by preventing the production of fVEGF during VEGF proteolysis. In addition, inhaled PR1P reduced neutrophil migration into airways following injury in three separate murine acute lung injury models including from lipopolysaccharide (LPS), bleomycin and acid. Reduced presence of neutrophils in the airways was associated with decreased pro-inflammatory cytokines (including TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6) and Myeloperoxidase (MPO) in broncho-alveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Finally, PR1P prevented weight loss and tissue injury and reduced plasma levels of key inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-6 in a rat TNBS-induced colitis model. Taken together, our data demonstrate that VEGF and fVEGF may each play separate and pivotal roles in mediating inflammation in ARDS and UC, and that PR1P, by preventing proteolytic degradation of VEGF and the production of fVEGF may represent a novel therapeutic approach to preserve VEGF signaling and inhibit inflammation in acute and chronic inflammatory diseases.

The interaction between microbiota and immune in intestinal inflammatory diseases: Global research status and trends

Aims

This study aimed to conduct a bibliometric analysis of the relevant literature on the interaction between microbiota and immune in intestinal inflammatory diseases, and show its current status, hotspots, and development trends.

Methods

The related literature was acquired from the Web of Science Core Collection on October 12, 2022. Co-occurrence and cooperation relationship analysis of authors, institutions, countries, references, and keywords in the literature were carried out through CiteSpace 6.1.R3 software and the Online Analysis platform of Literature Metrology. At the same time, the relevant knowledge maps were drawn, and the keywords cluster analysis and emergence analysis were performed.

Results

3,608 related publications were included, showing that the number of articles in this field is increasing year by year. The results showed that Gasbarrini A and Sokol H were the authors with the highest cumulative number of articles with 25, and the institution with the most articles was Harvard University with 142 articles. The USA was far ahead in the article output, with 1,131 articles, and had a dominant role, followed by China with 707 articles. The journal Frontiers in Immunology contributed the most to this research field with 213 articles. In the cooperation network analysis, the USA, Harvard University, and Xavier RJ were the most widely collaborated country, institution, and author, respectively, which implied a high level of influence. Keywords analysis showed that there were 770 keywords, which were mainly classified as internal related diseases, such as "inflammatory bowel disease", "irritable bowel syndrome", "colorectal cancer", and the mechanism of interaction of microbiota and immune, such as "intestinal microbiota", "commensal microbiota", "regulatory T cell", "dendritic cell", "barrier function", "activation", "anti-inflammatory properties", "intestinal epithelium", and "diversity". Emerging analysis showed that future research hotspots and trends might be the short-chain fatty acid, gut dysbiosis, gut-liver axis, and fusobacterium nucleatum.

Conclusion

This research was the first bibliometric analysis of publications in the field of interaction between microbiota and immune in intestinal inflammatory diseases using visualization software and data information mining, and obtained the current status, hotspots, and development of this field, which provides a theoretical basis for its scientific research.

PARs in the inflammation-cancer transformation of CRC

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the common malignancies with a global trend of increasing incidence and mortality. There is an urgent need to identify new predictive markers and therapeutic targets for the treatment of CRC. Protease-activated receptors (PARs) are a class of G-protein-coupled receptors, with currently identified subtypes including PAR1, PAR2, PAR3 and PAR4. Increasingly, studies suggest that PARs play an important role in the growth and metastasis of CRC. By targeting multiple signaling pathways may contribute to the pathogenesis of CRC. In this review, we first describe recent studies on the role of PARs in CRC inflammation-cancer transformation, focusing on the important role of PARs in signaling pathways associated with inflammation-cancer transformation, and summarize the progress of research on PARs-targeted drugs.

Innate lymphoid cells type 3 in cancer

Cancer is a multifactorial chronic illness caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. A tumor is more than just a collection of cancer cells, it also contains infiltrating and resident host cells that are constantly interacting with it. Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) have been recently found to be within the tumor and its microenvironment in close relationship with cancer cells. Although ILCs lack an antigen-specific receptor, they can respond to environmental stress signals, aiding in the fast orchestration of an early immune response. They are tissue resident cells mostly located in mucosa and first barrier organs that have been mainly studied in the defense against pathogens, lymphoid development, and tissue repair, however, current research has begun to elucidate their involvement in carcinogenesis. Nevertheless, among all ILCs, ILC3s have been found to be the most controversial in terms of tumor immunity. It has been found that they enhance anti-tumor immunity by detecting cancerous cells and helping lymphocytes infiltrate tumors. However, some recent studies have revealed that IL-23 stimulating ILC3s may promote tumor growth. In this review, we have incorporated the most recent studies on the involvement of ILC3s in cancer development to offer an overview of the role of ILC3s in cancer emphasis on their particular activity in several organs primarily in the mucosa, but also in breast, pancreas, liver, and skin, realizing that their role likely depends on the tissue microenvironment and the subtype of ILC3s.

Tumor-Associated Neutrophils in Colorectal Cancer Development, Progression and Immunotherapy

The colorectal-cancer (CRC) incidence rate and mortality have remained high for several years. In recent years, immune-checkpoint-inhibitor (ICI) therapy has rapidly developed. However, it is only effective in a few CRC patients with microsatellite-instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch-repair-deficient (dMMR) CRC. How to improve the efficiency of ICI therapy in CRC patients with microsatellite stability (MSS) remains a huge obstacle. Tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs), which are similar to macrophages, also have N1 and N2 phenotypes. They can be recruited and polarized through different cytokines or chemokines, and then play an antitumor or tumor-promoting role. In CRC, we find that the prognostic significance of TANs is still controversial. In this review, we describe the antitumor regulation of TANs, and their mechanism of promoting tumor progression by boosting the transformation of inflammation into tumors, facilitating tumor-cell proliferation, metastasis and angiogenesis. The targeting of TANs combined with ICIs may be a new treatment model for CRC. Relevant animal experiments have shown good responses, and clinical trials have also been carried out in succession. TANs, as “assistants” of ICI treatment, may become the key to the success of CRC immunotherapy, although no significant results have been obtained.

The paradoxical role of MDSCs in inflammatory bowel diseases: From bench to bedside

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a group of bone marrow derived heterogeneous cells, which is known for their immunosuppressive functions especially in tumors. Recently, MDSCs have receiving increasing attention in pathological conditions like infection, inflammation and autoimmune diseases. Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are a series of immune-dysfunctional autoimmune diseases characterized by relapsing intestinal inflammation. The role of MDSCs in IBD remains controversial. Although most studies in vitro demonstrated its anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting the proliferation and function of T cells, it was reported that MDSCs failed to relieve inflammation but even promoted inflammatory responses in experimental IBD. Here we summarize recent insights into the role of MDSCs in the development of IBD and the potential of MDSCs-targeted therapy.

Editorial for Special Issue “Advances in the Pathogenesis and Treatment of Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases”

This Special Issue focuses on the rapidly evolving field of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) and the achievements that were made over the last 10 years [...]

Discovery and Anti-Inflammatory Activity Evaluation of a Novel CDK8 Inhibitor through Upregulation of IL-10 for the Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease In Vivo

Increasing the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10) level is a promising strategy to suppress the progression of pathogenic inflammation including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Since cyclin-dependent kinase 8 (CDK8) inhibition can upregulate IL-10 abundance in activated myeloid-derived dendritic cells, it is considered to be an effective target for IBD treatment. Here, the complete discovery process of a novel CDK8 inhibitor as an anti-inflammatory agent was described. Starting with wogonin, structure-based optimization and structure-activity relationship (SAR) study were comprehensively carried out, and then lead compound 85 (N-(2-ethylphenyl)-5-(4-(piperazine-1-carbonyl)phenyl)nicotinamide) was developed as a potent druglike CDK8 inhibitor upregulating IL-10 both in vivo and in vitro. Also, compound 85 (with CDK8 IC₅₀ = 56 nM, IL-10 enhancement rate 88%) exhibited effective anti-inflammatory activity in an animal model of IBD. These results confirmed that certain CDK8 inhibitor could be used as an effective anti-IBD drug.

Molecular Mechanisms of Tumor Immunomodulation in the Microenvironment of Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer remains one of the most important health challenges in our society. The development of cancer immunotherapies has fostered the need to better understand the anti-tumor immune mechanisms at play in the tumor microenvironment and the strategies by which the tumor escapes them. In this review, we provide an overview of the molecular interactions that regulate tumor inflammation. We particularly discuss immunomodulatory cell-cell interactions, cell-soluble factor interactions, cell-extracellular matrix interactions and cell-microbiome interactions. While doing so, we highlight relevant examples of tumor immunomodulation in colorectal cancer.