Stress, Metabolism and Cancer

Abstract

The potential for immune cells to control cancers has been recognized for many decades, but only recently has real excitement begun to spread through the oncology community following clear evidence that therapeutic blockade of specific immune-suppressive mechanisms is enough to make a real difference in survival for patients with several different advanced cancers. However, impressive and encouraging as these new clinical data are, it is clear that more effort should be devoted toward understanding the full spectrum of factors within cancer patients, which have the potential to block or weaken antitumor activity by immune cells. The goal of this brief review is to highlight recent literature revealing interactive stress and metabolic pathways, particularly those mediated by the sympathetic nervous system, which may conspire to block immune cells from unleashing their full killing potential. There is exciting new information regarding the role of neurogenesis by tumors and adrenergic signaling in cancer progression (including metabolic changes associated with cachexia and lipolysis) and in regulation of immune cell function and differentiation. However, much more work is needed to fully understand how the systemic metabolic effects mediated by the brain and nervous system can be targeted for therapeutic efficacy in the setting of immunotherapy and other cancer therapies.

Editorial: Myeloid Derived Suppressor Cells as Disease Modulators

“…In contrast, diseases characterized by chronic inflammation and/or persistent tissue damage such as cancer, autoimmunity, or chronic infections, result in the prolonged release of DAMP's and PAMP's and the production of cytokines such as G-CSF, GM-CSF, and IL6 that increase the release of myeloid-cells from bone marrow and promote the induction of immunosuppressive mechanisms in MDSC. More recently new data show that increased concentrations of lipids such as found in obese patients (8,9), or increased levels of catecholamines as in chronic pain or stress also promote the activation of immunosuppressive mechanisms by MDSC (10). MDSC suppress T and NK cell function through multiple mechanisms.…”

Oral hygiene might prevent cancer

“…For example, liver metabolism in cachexia leads to suppression of antitumor immunity mainly through IL-6 [78] . Importantly, this axe of interactive metabolic pathways and immune system can be targeted by psychological stress, particularly those pathways mediated by the sympathetic nervous system [79] . For a general review of the tight coordination between the immune and nervous systems see the review by Talbot S et al [80] .…”

The Functional Activity of Innate Immunity Cells in Bacterial Infection on Background of Thermal Stress

“…Активация цитозольных рецепторов и сопутствующие им конформационные изменения молекул, окружающие их, происходят при обязательном участии ферментов. На настоящий момент, механизмы влияния гипо-и гипертермии на клетки врожденного иммунитета остаются неясными, тогда как изменение температуры тела всего на 1°С влечет за собой метаболические затраты организма для поддержания его термогомеостаза [5,17]. Причем, определенный интерес представляет длительность воздействия гипертермии для достижения баланса между биоэнергетическими затратами клеток, связанными с терморегуляцией, а также течение патологического процесса в организме, предварительно подвергнутого воздействию температуры.…”