Neutrophils and neutrophil extracellular traps in cancer: promising targets for engineered nanomaterials

Emeka B Okeke; Cameron Louttit; Caitlin M Snyder; James J Moon

doi:10.1007/s13346-022-01243-1

Neutrophils and neutrophil extracellular traps in cancer: promising targets for engineered nanomaterials

Drug Deliv Transl Res. 2023 Jul;13(7):1882-1895. doi: 10.1007/s13346-022-01243-1. Epub 2022 Oct 2.

Authors

Emeka B Okeke^{1

2

3}, Cameron Louttit^{4

5}, Caitlin M Snyder⁶, James J Moon^{7

8

9

10}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biology, State University of New York at Fredonia, Fredonia, NY, 14063, USA. okeke@fredonia.edu.
² Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA. okeke@fredonia.edu.
³ Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA. okeke@fredonia.edu.
⁴ Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
⁵ Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
⁶ Department of Biology, State University of New York at Fredonia, Fredonia, NY, 14063, USA.
⁷ Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA. moonjj@umich.edu.
⁸ Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA. moonjj@umich.edu.
⁹ Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA. moonjj@umich.edu.
¹⁰ Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA. moonjj@umich.edu.

PMID: 36182992
PMCID: PMC10066838 (available on 2024-07-01)
DOI: 10.1007/s13346-022-01243-1

Abstract

Neutrophils are the most abundant white blood cells in circulation and constitute up to 60% of circulating leukocytes. Neutrophils play a significant role in host defense against pathogens through various mechanisms, including phagocytosis, production of antimicrobial proteins, and formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). Recently, the role of neutrophils and NETs in cancer has generated significant interest, as accumulating evidence suggests that neutrophils and NETs contribute to cancer progression and are associated with adverse patient outcomes. In this review, we will first highlight the roles of neutrophils and NETs in cancer progression and metastasis and discuss new drug delivery approaches to target and modulate neutrophils and NETs for cancer therapeutics.

Keywords: Cancer; Nanoparticle; Neutrophil extracellular trap; Neutrophils.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

Extracellular Traps* / metabolism
Humans
Neoplasms* / pathology
Neutrophils / metabolism
Neutrophils / pathology

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding