The role of the symbiotic microecosystem in cancer: gut microbiota, metabolome, and host immunome

Xiaoyu Xue; Rui Li; Zhenni Chen; Guiyu Li; Bisheng Liu; Shanshan Guo; Qianhua Yue; Siye Yang; Linlin Xie; Yiguan Zhang; Junning Zhao; Ruirong Tan

doi:10.3389/fimmu.2023.1235827

The role of the symbiotic microecosystem in cancer: gut microbiota, metabolome, and host immunome

Front Immunol. 2023 Aug 24:14:1235827. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1235827. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Xiaoyu Xue^{1

2}, Rui Li³, Zhenni Chen^{2

4}, Guiyu Li², Bisheng Liu³, Shanshan Guo², Qianhua Yue², Siye Yang², Linlin Xie⁵, Yiguan Zhang^{1

2}, Junning Zhao², Ruirong Tan²

Affiliations

¹ School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China.
² Sichuan Institute for Translational Chinese Medicine, Sichuan Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Quality Evaluation of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Sichuan Engineering Technology Research Center of Genuine Regional Drug, Sichuan Provincial Engineering Research Center of Formation Principle and Quality Evaluation of Genuine Medicinal Materials, Translational Chinese Medicine Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, China.
³ Department of Radiation Oncology, Radiation Oncology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sichuan Cancer Hospital and Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
⁴ College of Food and Biological Engineering, Chengdu University, Chengdu, China.
⁵ Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital Affiliated to Southwest Medical University, Classical Chinese Medicine Diagnosis and Treatment Center, Luzhou, China.

Abstract

The gut microbiota is not just a simple nutritional symbiosis that parasitizes the host; it is a complex and dynamic ecosystem that coevolves actively with the host and is involved in a variety of biological activities such as circadian rhythm regulation, energy metabolism, and immune response. The development of the immune system and immunological functions are significantly influenced by the interaction between the host and the microbiota. The interactions between gut microbiota and cancer are of a complex nature. The critical role that the gut microbiota plays in tumor occurrence, progression, and treatment is not clear despite the already done research. The development of precision medicine and cancer immunotherapy further emphasizes the importance and significance of the question of how the microbiota takes part in cancer development, progression, and treatment. This review summarizes recent literature on the relationship between the gut microbiome and cancer immunology. The findings suggest the existence of a "symbiotic microecosystem" formed by gut microbiota, metabolome, and host immunome that is fundamental for the pathogenesis analysis and the development of therapeutic strategies for cancer.

Keywords: cancer immunology; gut microbiome; immunomodulation; immunotherapy; tumor microenvironment.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Gastrointestinal Microbiome*
Humans
Metabolome
Microbiota*
Neoplasms*
Symbiosis

Grants and funding

This research was supported by the Oncology Medical-Industrial Innovation Fund Project of University of Electronic Science and Technology, Sichuan Cancer Hospital (Grant No. ZYGX2021YGCX020), the Sichuan Cancer Hospital Youth Fund Project (Grant No. YB2021035, YB2021040), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 82204695, Grant No. 82104215), the Sichuan Provincial Research Institutes Basic Research Operations Fund Project (Grant No. A-2022N-Z-2), the Research Projects granted by Sichuan Administration of TCM (2021ZD004), and the Sichuan Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine Research Project (Grant No. QNCJRSC2022-9).