Targeting the tumor immune microenvironment with “nutraceuticals”: From bench to clinical trials

Masuelli, Laura; Benvenuto, Monica; Focaccetti, Chiara; Ciuffa, Sara; Fazi, Sara; Bei, Arianna; Miele, Martino Tony; Piredda, Lucia; Manzari, Vittorio; Modesti, Andrea; Bei, Roberto

doi:10.1016/j.pharmthera.2020.107700

Cited by 15 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 548 publications

(476 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…[ 6 – 8 ]. In recent years, the inflammation and immune microenvironment within the TME have been considered as the keys to a breakthrough in the understanding of the TME and the establishment of new cancer therapies [ 9 – 11 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tumor-Associated Inflammation: The Tumor-Promoting Immunity in the Early Stages of Tumorigenesis

Qiu

et al. 2022

Journal of Immunology Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Tumorigenesis is a multistage progressive oncogenic process caused by alterations in the structure and expression level of multiple genes. Normal cells are continuously endowed with new capabilities in this evolution, leading to subsequent tumor formation. Immune cells are the most important components of inflammation, which is closely associated with tumorigenesis. There is a broad consensus in cancer research that inflammation and immune response facilitate tumor progression, infiltration, and metastasis via different mechanisms; however, their protumor effects are equally important in tumorigenesis at earlier stages. Previous studies have demonstrated that during the early stages of tumorigenesis, certain immune cells can promote the formation and proliferation of premalignant cells by inducing DNA damage and repair inhibition, releasing trophic/supporting signals, promoting immune escape, and activating inflammasomes, as well as enhance the characteristics of cancer stem cells. In this review, we focus on the potential mechanisms by which immune cells can promote tumor initiation and promotion in the early stages of tumorigenesis; furthermore, we discuss the interaction of the inflammatory environment and protumor immune cells with premalignant cells and cancer stem cells, as well as the possibility of early intervention in tumor formation by targeting these cellular mechanisms.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tumor-Associated Inflammation: The Tumor-Promoting Immunity in the Early Stages of Tumorigenesis

Qiu

et al. 2022

Journal of Immunology Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…As the eld has developed, it has been proposed that tumor microenvironment (TME) also plays an essential role in tumor biology 8 . The TME is the complicated and dynamic ecosystem consisting of diverse cell types, including tumor cells, stromal cells, immune cells, endothelial cells, and other noncellular components 9 . There is increasing evidence that impaired tumor-speci c effector T cells promote tumor progression and unfavorable prognosis 10 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A pan-cancer analysis of the oncogenic role of 7-dehydrocholesterol reductase (DHCR7) in human tumors

Dai

Chen

Gong

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: DHCR7, a switch between cholesterol and vitamin D synthesis that plays a pivotal role in tumorigenesis, is a promising therapeutic target in oncology. Despite increasing strong support for its importance, there is no pan-cancer analysis across multiple databases that can be available for in-depth data mining of the gene. Methods: We first investigated the potential oncogenic roles of DHCR7 based on tumor data from both The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). A variety of analytical methods were used to gain a better mechanistic understanding of DHCR7: gene expression, survival situations, genetic mutations, immunocyte infiltration, and correlative cellular pathways. Results: DHCR7 was highly expressed in many cancers, and distinct correlations exist between DHCR7 expression and prognosis of cancer patients. cBioPortal reported that a nonsense mutation of F215L* was considered to be the primary tumorigenic genetic alteration to DHCR7 and was found in cases of LUSC, STAD, and CESC. The DHCR7 expression levels were found to be positively correlated with level of infiltration of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and negatively correlated with anti-tumor immune cells in majority of tumors. The main enrichments for biological processes were steroid biosynthesis, cholesterol metabolic process, and lipid metabolic process for DHCR7. Conclusion: This is the first time to conduct a comprehensive pan-cancer analysis of DHCR7. It provides critical insights into the functions of DHCR7 in tumorigenesis and highlights the potential diagnostic and therapeutic targeted role of DHCR7 for cancers.

show abstract

“…Cancer immunotherapy, which aims at using the innate immune system to rebuild the antitumor immunity in the tumor microenvironment, is considered as the next-generation therapeutic strategy of cancer, especially for malignant tumors. [1][2][3][4] Tumor cells develop a complex tumor microenvironment which supplies them for sustained growth, invasion, and metastasis. [5][6][7] As the most abundant tumor-infiltrating cell population, tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) include mainly two phenotypes: classically activated M1 and alternatively activated M2 macrophages.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Eliciting an Immunostimulatory Tumor Microenvironment to Enhance the Antitumor Efficacy by Targeted Cancer Immunotherapy

Zhang

Wang

et al. 2022

Advanced Therapeutics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Tumor‐associated macrophages (TAMs) in tumor microenvironment represent an ideal therapeutic target for cancer immunotherapy. A targeted cancer immunotherapy strategy through reprogramming M2 macrophages to reverse the immunosuppressive microenvironment is proposed and the antitumor effects via targeted immunostimulatory therapy are evaluated. The developed M2‐macrophage‐targeted nanoparticles (M2‐TNPs) can specially target and reprogram the M2 macrophages via polarization to the antitumor M1 phenotype. Compared with nontargeted nanoparticles, M2‐TNPs loading zoledronic acid can specifically be recognized by M2 macrophages but not other macrophages and mounted productive antitumor responses, showing enhanced antitumor efficacy by targeted immunostimulation in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, when combining the chemotherapeutic drug dacarbazine with M2‐TNPs for treatment of melanoma, a dramatic synergistic effect in cancer therapy through eliciting an immunostimulatory tumor microenvironment to restore the antitumor immunity is demonstrated. These studies provide preclinical evidence that targeted TAM‐reprogramming treatment strategies can hold tremendous promise in cancer immunotherapy.

show abstract

Targeting the tumor immune microenvironment with “nutraceuticals”: From bench to clinical trials

Cited by 15 publications

References 548 publications

Tumor-Associated Inflammation: The Tumor-Promoting Immunity in the Early Stages of Tumorigenesis

Tumor-Associated Inflammation: The Tumor-Promoting Immunity in the Early Stages of Tumorigenesis

A pan-cancer analysis of the oncogenic role of 7-dehydrocholesterol reductase (DHCR7) in human tumors

Eliciting an Immunostimulatory Tumor Microenvironment to Enhance the Antitumor Efficacy by Targeted Cancer Immunotherapy

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About