Predicting the herbal medicine triggering innate anti-tumor immunity from a system pharmacology perspective

Although the main focus of immuno-oncology has been manipulating the adaptive immune system, tumor associated macrophages (TAMs) are the main infiltrating component in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and play a critical role in cancer progression. TAMs are mainly divided into two different subtypes: macrophages with antitumor or killing activity are called M1 while tumor-promoting or healing macrophages are named M2. Therefore, controlling the polarization of TAMs is an important strategy for cancer treatment, but there is no particularly effective means to regulate the polarization process. Here, combined systems pharmacology targets and pathways analysis strategy, we uncovered Scutellariae Radix (SR) has the potential to regulate TAMs polarization to inhibit the growth of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Firstly, systems pharmacology approach was used to reveal the active components of SR targeting macrophages in TME through compound target prediction and target-microenvironment phenotypic association analysis. Secondly, in vitro experiment verified that WBB (wogonin, baicalein and baicalin), major active ingredients of SR are significantly related to macrophages and survival, initiated macrophages programming to M1-like macrophages to promoted the apoptosis of tumor cells. Finally, we evidenced that WBB effectively inhibited tumor growth in LLC (Lewis lung carcinoma) tumor-bearing mice and increased the infiltration of M1-type macrophages in TME. Overall, the systems pharmacology strategy offers a paradigm to understand the mechanism of polypharmacology of natural products targeting TME.

"UPRegulation" of CD47 by the endoplasmic reticulum stress pathway controls anti-tumor immune responses

We recently demonstrated that targeting the unfolded protein response (UPR) protein GRP78 down-regulates CD47 expression, resulting in increased tumor macrophage infiltration and inhibited resistance to anti-estrogen therapy. We now show new data indicating that anti-estrogen therapy regulates CD47 expression and implicates its ligand, thrombospondin-1, in regulation of tumor macrophage infiltration. Moreover, GRP78 and CD47 co-expression is associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer patients, suggesting the existence of crosstalk between UPR and immunity that regulates therapeutic responses in breast cancer.