School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, China.
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, China.
Int Immunopharmacol. 2021 Aug;97:107682. doi: 10.1016/j.intimp.2021.107682. Epub 2021 Apr 23.
Macrophages are important immune cells in the tumor microenvironment and can be divided into two polarized subtypes, M1 and M2. M1 type macrophages have anti-tumor effects, while M2 type macrophages have pro-tumor effect. Most of the current researches are limited to the effect of M1 or M2 macrophages on tumors, while ignoring the overall balance of macrophages. Our research suggests that the macrophage balance fraction (MBF) can more effectively and comprehensively reflect the balance of tumor associated macrophages. Using bioinformatics analysis and in vitro experiments, we found that MBF is also an effective indicator of the degree of immunosuppression and metastatic ability of breast cancer, and different MBF environment can impact the migration and invasion ability of breast cancer cells. Finally, we also found that the mechanism of MBF changes in breast cancer may be affected by breast cancer-derived exosomes. In summary, MBF was proposed and validated as a novel indicator of macrophage balance state. Using this indicator, we found that the balance of macrophages can affect the degree of immunosuppression and metastatic ability of breast cancer.
巨噬细胞是肿瘤微环境中的重要免疫细胞，可分为两种极化亚型，M1 和 M2。M1 型巨噬细胞具有抗肿瘤作用，而 M2 型巨噬细胞则具有促肿瘤作用。目前的大多数研究都局限于 M1 或 M2 巨噬细胞对肿瘤的影响，而忽略了巨噬细胞的整体平衡。我们的研究表明，巨噬细胞平衡分数（MBF）可以更有效地、更全面地反映肿瘤相关巨噬细胞的平衡状态。通过生物信息学分析和体外实验，我们发现 MBF 也是乳腺癌免疫抑制程度和转移能力的有效指标，不同的 MBF 环境可以影响乳腺癌细胞的迁移和侵袭能力。最后，我们还发现，乳腺癌中 MBF 变化的机制可能受到乳腺癌来源的外泌体的影响。综上所述，MBF 被提出并验证为一种新的巨噬细胞平衡状态指标。使用这个指标，我们发现巨噬细胞的平衡可以影响乳腺癌的免疫抑制程度和转移能力。
