Toward a postbiotic era of microbiome science: Opportunities to advance immunotherapies for hepatocellular carcinoma

Geicho Nakatsu

doi:10.1111/jgh.15715

Toward a postbiotic era of microbiome science: Opportunities to advance immunotherapies for hepatocellular carcinoma

J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2022 Jan;37(1):34-38. doi: 10.1111/jgh.15715. Epub 2021 Nov 2.

Author

Geicho Nakatsu^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
² Harvard T. H. Chan Microbiome in Public Health Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

PMID: 34665475
DOI: 10.1111/jgh.15715

Abstract

The microbiome has revolutionized the field of cancer immunology and checkpoint therapeutics for gastrointestinal malignancies. Combating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) is a unique challenge due in part to chronic complications that arise from local and systemic metabolic dysfunctions. Gut microbial metabolites modulate key immunological processes that influence liver cancer susceptibility and resistance to ICB. This review discusses recent progresses in linking microbiota functions to HCC tumor immunity and highlights their therapeutic potential.

Keywords: cancers: biology, diagnosis and therapy; hepatocellar carcinoma, treatment; liver immunobiology.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* / immunology
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* / therapy
Humans
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors / therapeutic use
Immunotherapy*
Liver Neoplasms* / immunology
Liver Neoplasms* / therapy
Microbiota / physiology

Substances

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors