Zhao Lin, Gui Yajun, Deng Xiangying
Department of Pathology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Hunan Clinical Medical Research Center for Cancer Pathogenic Genes Testing and Diagnosis, Changsha, Human, China.
Int J Surg. 2025 Mar 1;111(3):2590-2602. doi: 10.1097/JS9.0000000000002224.
The immune response is modulated by a diverse array of signals within the tissue microenvironment, encompassing biochemical factors, mechanical forces, and pressures from adjacent tissues. Furthermore, the extracellular matrix and its constituents significantly influence the function of immune cells. In the case of carcinogenesis, changes in the biophysical properties of tissues can impact the mechanical signals received by immune cells, and these signals c1an be translated into biochemical signals through mechano-transduction pathways. These mechano-transduction pathways have a profound impact on cellular functions, influencing processes such as cell activation, metabolism, proliferation, and migration, etc. Tissue mechanics may undergo temporal changes during the process of carcinogenesis, offering the potential for novel dynamic levels of immune regulation. Here, we review advances in mechanoimmunology in malignancy studies, focusing on how mechanosignals modulate the behaviors of immune cells at the tissue level, thereby triggering an immune response that ultimately influences the development and progression of malignant tumors. Additionally, we have also focused on the development of mechano-immunoengineering systems, with the help of which could help to further understand the response of tumor cells or immune cells to alterations in the microenvironment and may provide new research directions for overcoming immunotherapeutic resistance of malignant tumors.
免疫反应受到组织微环境中多种信号的调节,包括生化因子、机械力以及来自相邻组织的压力。此外,细胞外基质及其成分对免疫细胞的功能有显著影响。在致癌过程中,组织生物物理特性的变化会影响免疫细胞接收到的机械信号,这些信号可通过机械转导途径转化为生化信号。这些机械转导途径对细胞功能有深远影响,影响细胞活化、代谢、增殖和迁移等过程。在致癌过程中,组织力学可能会发生时间上的变化,为新的动态免疫调节水平提供了潜力。在此,我们综述恶性肿瘤研究中机械免疫学的进展,重点关注机械信号如何在组织水平调节免疫细胞的行为,从而引发最终影响恶性肿瘤发生发展的免疫反应。此外,我们还关注了机械免疫工程系统的发展,借助该系统有助于进一步了解肿瘤细胞或免疫细胞对微环境变化的反应,并可能为克服恶性肿瘤的免疫治疗耐药性提供新的研究方向。