Beyond probiotics: postbiotics sensitize cancer cells to immune checkpoint inhibitors

Weici Liu; Zheshun Pi; Wenjun Mao

doi:10.1016/j.trecan.2023.12.001

Beyond probiotics: postbiotics sensitize cancer cells to immune checkpoint inhibitors

Trends Cancer. 2024 Jan;10(1):5-7. doi: 10.1016/j.trecan.2023.12.001. Epub 2023 Dec 14.

Authors

Weici Liu¹, Zheshun Pi¹, Wenjun Mao²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Affiliated Wuxi People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi People's Hospital, Wuxi Medical Center, Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi 214023, China; Wuxi College of Clinical Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi 214023, China.
² Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Affiliated Wuxi People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi People's Hospital, Wuxi Medical Center, Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi 214023, China; Wuxi College of Clinical Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi 214023, China. Electronic address: maowenjun1@njmu.edu.cn.

PMID: 38101956
DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2023.12.001

Abstract

Accumulated research corroborates the feasibility of microbial antitumor therapies, enriching the diversity of cancer therapeutics. Recently, Ferrari et al. revealed the role of postbiotics in sensitizing cancer cells to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and synergizing immunotherapy. Particularly, phytosphingosine induces upstream MYD88/NF-κB and downstream NLRC5 activation, enhances T cell effector responses, and inhibits tumor growth.

MeSH terms

Humans
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors / pharmacology
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors / therapeutic use
Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
NF-kappa B
Neoplasms* / drug therapy
Probiotics* / pharmacology
Probiotics* / therapeutic use
T-Lymphocytes

Substances

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors
NF-kappa B
NLRC5 protein, human
Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins

Grants and funding

BK20210068/Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province