Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Science, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia.
Pharmacy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tishk International University, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq.
J Biochem Mol Toxicol. 2024 Nov;38(11):e70044. doi: 10.1002/jbt.70044.
Natural killer (NK) cells are vital innate immune cells that play a crucial role in cancer therapy. They are targeted by therapies designed to modulate, retain, and enhance their antitumor function in vivo. In addition to whole-cell therapy, NK cell-derived exosomes (NDEs) offer high immune safety and are easily subject to chemical, biological, and immunological modifications. This makes them suitable for use in combination with various current cancer therapies to enhance efficacy, treatment outcomes, and reduce side effects in vivo. This review aims to outline summarizes the antitumor potential of NK cells, as well as the current challenges and opportunities in NK cell-based immunotherapies such as allogeneic and autologous NK cell transplantation, CAR NK cell therapy, and the use of cytokines and monoclonal antibodies. The review also explores the dual regulatory effects of tumor exosomes on NK cells, and highlights the potential of NDEs, either alone or in combination with other antitumor therapies, to reprogram the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and expedite the therapeutic effects of cancer immunotherapy in future clinical research.
自然杀伤 (NK) 细胞是重要的先天免疫细胞，在癌症治疗中发挥着关键作用。它们是旨在调节、保留和增强其体内抗肿瘤功能的治疗方法的靶点。除了全细胞治疗外，NK 细胞衍生的外泌体 (NDE) 具有较高的免疫安全性，并且容易受到化学、生物和免疫学修饰。这使得它们适合与各种当前的癌症疗法联合使用，以提高疗效、治疗结果，并减少体内的副作用。本综述旨在概述 NK 细胞的抗肿瘤潜力，以及基于 NK 细胞的免疫疗法（如异体和自体 NK 细胞移植、嵌合抗原受体 NK 细胞疗法以及细胞因子和单克隆抗体的使用）目前面临的挑战和机遇。本综述还探讨了肿瘤外泌体对 NK 细胞的双重调节作用，并强调了 NDE 在单独或与其他抗肿瘤疗法联合使用时，具有重新编程免疫抑制性肿瘤微环境和加速癌症免疫治疗在未来临床研究中的治疗效果的潜力。
