Chemoimmunotherapy by combining oxaliplatin with immune checkpoint blockades reduced tumor burden in colorectal cancer animal model

Abstract

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is among one of the top common cancers worldwide. Developing novel comprehensive treatment strategies is critical for improving survival of late stage CRC patients. Recent advances in immune checkpoint blockades provided a novel strategy for treating cancers via stimulating the antitumor immune response. However, the effects of immune checkpoint blockades were limited in CRC due to intrinsic resistance. Oxaliplatin (OXA) based chemotherapy was the foundation of CRC adjuvant chemotherapy. Here, we investigated the potential roles of OXA in inducing immunogenicity and synergizing with immune checkpoints in CRC.

Method: Immunogenicity of OXA was tested in CRC cell lines. Immune checkpoint blockades sensitive and resistant CRC models were used to study the potential synergistic roles of OXA with immune checkpoint blockades.

Results: We found CT26 mouse model was sensitive to immune checkpoint blockades, while MC38 mouse model was resistant. OXA could induce immunogenic cell death in several human and mouse CRC cell lines. Short term OXA treatment increased immune cell infiltration in MC38 mouse model and therefore enhanced the efficacy of immune checkpoint in MC38 mouse model. As a response to the OXA and immune checkpoint blockades combination, inhibitory immune checkpoints were down-regulated in MC38 tumors, while immune enhancing cytokines were up-regulated. Short term OXA treatment induced antitumor immune response in an immune checkpoint blockades resistant mouse model, therefore synergized with immune checkpoint blockades.

Keywords: Chemoimmunotherapy; Colorectal cancer; Immune checkpoints; Oxaliplatin; Tumor regression.