Foodborne and Waterborne Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Basic and Molecular Epidemiology of Gastrointestinal Disorders Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Cancer Med. 2021 Feb;10(3):1141-1154. doi: 10.1002/cam4.3694. Epub 2020 Dec 25.
The human gastrointestinal (GI) tract harbors gut microbiome, which plays a crucial role in preserving homeostasis at the intestinal host-microbial interface. Conversely, specific gut microbiota may be altered during various pathological conditions and produce a number of toxic compounds and oncoproteins, in turn, to induce both inflammatory response and carcinogenesis. Recently, promising findings have been documented toward the implementation of certain intestinal microbiome in the next era of cancer biology and cancer immunotherapy. Notably, intestinal microbiota can cooperate with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) of its host, especially in enhancing the efficacy of programmed death 1 (PD-1) protein and its ligand programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) blockade therapy for cancer. Herein, we review the dual function of gut microbiota in triggering GI cancers, its association with host immunity and its beneficial functions in modulation of cancer immunotherapy responses. Furthermore, we consider the significance of gut microbiota as a potential biomarker for predicting the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. Finally, we summarize the relevant limitations that affect the effectiveness and clinical applications of gut microbiome in response to immunotherapy.
人类胃肠道（GI）腔中栖息着肠道微生物组，其在维持肠道宿主-微生物界面的体内平衡方面发挥着关键作用。相反，在各种病理条件下，特定的肠道微生物组可能会发生改变，并产生许多有毒化合物和致癌蛋白，进而引发炎症反应和致癌作用。最近，在癌症生物学和癌症免疫治疗的下一时代，人们记录了一些有希望的关于特定肠道微生物组的实施的发现。值得注意的是，肠道微生物组可以与宿主的免疫检查点抑制剂（ICIs）合作，特别是在增强程序性死亡 1（PD-1）蛋白及其配体程序性死亡配体 1（PD-L1）阻断疗法治疗癌症的疗效方面。本文综述了肠道微生物组在引发胃肠道癌症中的双重作用，其与宿主免疫的关联及其在调节癌症免疫治疗反应中的有益作用。此外，我们还考虑了肠道微生物组作为预测癌症免疫治疗疗效的潜在生物标志物的意义。最后，我们总结了影响肠道微生物组对免疫治疗反应的有效性和临床应用的相关限制。
