Kaur Kawaljit
ImmuoLink, LLC, Riverside, CA 92508, USA.
Cancers (Basel). 2025 Sep 9;17(18):2946. doi: 10.3390/cancers17182946.
The connection between NK cells and cancer offers valuable insights into disease management. Suppressing NK cells can encourage cancer growth, while cancer itself can weaken NK cell function. This review examines how genetic and environmental factors such as diet affect NK cell numbers and function during the early stages of cancer. It also explores the reduced NK cell activity in cancer-bearing mouse models and human patients. The mechanisms behind cytotoxic actions and cytokine release are analyzed across four NK cell maturation stages. This understanding highlights the potential of using healthy donor NK cells for immunotherapy, alongside the role of memory NK cells in treatments. While NK cell-based therapies show promise in studies, challenges remain in sustaining their effectiveness and durability. This review also discusses strategies to improve production and boost the efficiency of donor NK cell therapies.
自然杀伤细胞（NK细胞）与癌症之间的联系为疾病管理提供了宝贵的见解。抑制NK细胞会促进癌症生长，而癌症本身会削弱NK细胞功能。本综述探讨了遗传和环境因素（如饮食）如何在癌症早期影响NK细胞数量和功能。还探讨了荷瘤小鼠模型和人类患者中NK细胞活性降低的情况。分析了四个NK细胞成熟阶段的细胞毒性作用和细胞因子释放背后的机制。这一认识突出了使用健康供体NK细胞进行免疫治疗的潜力，以及记忆NK细胞在治疗中的作用。虽然基于NK细胞的疗法在研究中显示出前景，但在维持其有效性和持久性方面仍存在挑战。本综述还讨论了提高供体NK细胞疗法产量和效率的策略。
