The role of IL-35 and IL-37 in breast cancer - potential therapeutic targets for precision medicine

Dendrobium huoshanense polysaccharide inhibits NSCLC proliferation and immune evasion via FXR1-IL-35 axis signaling pathway

Dendrobium huoshanense has received special attention for its advantages in the treatment of lung cancer, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are not yet well understood. First, we obtained 8 active ingredients and 159 effective action targets of Dendrobium huoshanense using network pharmacology, and searching target interactions through STRING, constructing the PPI network and KEGG, GO and Hallmark enrichment analysis. Then, we combined target's enrichment analysis and GSEA enrichment analysis of IL-35, indicating the mechanism of cDHPs for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) may be related to tight junction and NSCLC pathway. Further, FXR1 and ACTR3 were identified as core therapeutic targets, and high expression of FXR1 or ACTR3 was significantly associated with poor prognosis of patients. The analysis of single-cell data also indicated that the percentage of CD4-CTLA4-Treg cells may be increased by the expression of IL-35, resulting in a suppressive immune microenvironment. Next, In vivo experiment, we detected iTr35 by flow cytometry, detected IL-35 level by RT-PCR, Western blotting and ELISA, and detected NK cell activity to explore the immunomodulatory effects and anti-tumor mechanism of cDHPs. After cDHPs administration, the conversion of CD4+ T cells to iTr35 is inhibited, p35 and EBI3 in both protein and mRNA levels, the levels of IL-35 and IL-4 in serum decreased. The levels of IFN-γ, while the activity of NK cells in mice increased, enhancing the anti-tumor immune effect of the organism. Finally, analysis of sequencing data from the immunotherapy cohort of tumor-bearing mice obtained from the TISMO database shows that the combination of cDHPs and PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies improves effector and thus PD-1/PD-L1 antibody efficacy. These findings suggest that cDHPs inhibit NSCLC proliferation and immune escape via the FXR1-IL-35 axis signaling pathway.

Role of tertiary lymphoid structures and B cells in clinical immunotherapy of gastric cancer

Gastric cancer is a common malignant tumor of the digestive tract, and its treatment remains a significant challenge. In recent years, the role of various immune cells in the tumor microenvironment in cancer progression and treatment has gained increasing attention. Immunotherapy, primarily based on immune checkpoint inhibitors, has notably improved the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer; however, challenges regarding therapeutic efficacy persist. Histological features within the tumor microenvironment, such as tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs), tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, and the proportion of intratumoral stroma, are emerging as potentially effective prognostic factors. In gastric cancer, TLSs may serve as local immune hubs, enhancing the ability of immune cells to interact with and recognize tumor antigens, which is closely linked to the effectiveness of immunotherapy and improved survival rates in patients. However, the specific cell type driving TLS formation in tumors has not yet been elucidated. Mature TLSs are B-cell regions containing germinal centers. During germinal center formation, B cells undergo transformations to become mature cells with immune function, exerting anti-tumor effects. Therefore, targeting B cells within TLSs could provide new avenues for gastric cancer immunotherapy. This review, combined with current research on TLSs and B cells in gastric cancer, elaborates on the relationship between TLSs and B cells in the prognosis and immunotherapy of patients with gastric cancer, aiming to provide effective guidance for precise immunotherapy.

Agree to disagree: The contradiction between IL-18 and IL-37 reveals shared targets in cancer

IL-37 is a newly discovered member of the IL-1 cytokine family which plays an important role in regulating inflammation and maintaining physiological homeostasis. IL-37 showed a close relationship with IL-18, another key cytokine in inflammation regulation and cancer development. IL-37 affects the function of IL-18 either by binding to IL-18Rα, a key subunit of both IL-37 and IL-18 receptor, or by drastically neutralizing the IL-18 protein expression of IL-18 binding protein, an important natural inhibitory molecule of IL-18. Moreover, as another subunit receptor of IL-37, IL-1R8 can suppress IL-18Rα expression, functioning as a surveillance mechanism to prevent overactivation of both IL-18 and IL-37 signaling pathways. While IL-18 and IL-37 share the same receptor subunit, IL-18 would in turn interfere with IL-37 signal transduction by binding to IL-18Rα. It is also reported that IL-18 and IL-37 demonstrated opposing effects in a variety of cancers, such as glioblastoma, lung cancer, leukemia, and hepatocellular cancer. Although the mutual regulation of IL-18 and IL-37 and their diametrically opposed effects in cancers has been reported, IL-18 has not been taken into consideration when interpreting clinical findings and conducting mechanism investigations related to IL-37 in cancer. We aim to review the recent progress in IL-18 and IL-37 research in cancer and summarize the correlation between IL-18 and IL-37 in cancer based on their expression level and underlying mechanisms, which would provide new insights into elucidating the conflicting roles of IL-18 and IL-37 in cancer and bring new ideas for translational research related to IL-18 and IL-37.

Novel insights into IL-37: an anti-inflammatory cytokine with emerging roles in anti-cancer process

Interleukin-37 (IL-37) is a newly discovered member of IL-1 family. The cytokine was proved to have extensive protective effects in infectious diseases, allergic diseases, metabolic diseases, autoimmune diseases and tumors since its discovery. IL-37 was mainly produced by immune and some non-immune cells in response to inflammatory stimulus. The IL-37 precursors can convert into the mature forms after caspase-1 cleavage and activation intracellularly, and then bind to Smad-3 and transfer to the nucleus to inhibit the production and functions of proinflammatory cytokines; extracellularly, IL-37 binds to cell surface receptors to form IL-37/IL-18Rα/IL-1R8 complex to exert immunosuppressive function via inhibiting/activating multiple signal pathways. In addition, IL-37 can attenuate the pro-inflammatory effect of IL-18 through directly or forming an IL-37/IL-18BP/IL-18Rβ complex. Therefore, IL-37 has the ability to suppress innate and acquired immunity of the host, and effectively control inflammatory stimulation, which was considered as a new hallmark of cancer. Specifically, it is concluded that IL-37 can inhibit the growth and migration of tumor cells, prohibit angiogenesis and mediate the immunoregulation in tumor microenvironment, so as to exert effective anti-tumor effects. Importantly, latest studies also showed that IL-37 may be a novel therapeutic target for cancer monitoring. In this review, we summarize the immunoregulation roles and mechanisms of IL-37 in anti-tumor process, and discuss its progress so far and potential as tumor immunotherapy.