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Immunomodulation aspects of gut microbiome-related interventional strategies in colorectal cancer

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Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC), the third most common cancer worldwide, develops mainly due to the accumulation of genetic and epigenetic changes over many years. Substantial evidence suggests that gut microbiota plays a significant role in the initiation, progression, and control of CRC, depending on the balance between beneficial and pathogenic microorganisms. Nonetheless, gut microbiota composition by regulating the host immune response may either promote or inhibit CRC. Thus, modification of gut microbiota potentially impacts clinical outcomes of immunotherapy. Previous studies have indicated that therapeutic strategies such as probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics enhance the intestinal immune system and improve the efficacy of immunotherapeutic agents, potentially serving as a complementary strategy in cancer immunotherapy. This review discusses the role of the gut microbiota in the onset and development of CRC in relation to the immune response. Additionally, we focus on the effect of strategies manipulating gut microbiome on the immune response and efficacy of immunotherapy against CRC. We demonstrate that manipulation of gut microbiome can enhance immune response and outcomes of immunotherapy through downregulating Treg cells and other immunosuppressive cells while improving the function of T cells within the tumor; however, further research, especially clinical trials, are needed to evaluate its efficacy in cancer treatment.

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Data availability

Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study. No datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Basic and Molecular Epidemiology of Gastrointestinal Disorders Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Makan Cheraghpour, Nayeralsadat Fatemi, Mahdi Shadnoush & Ghazaleh Talebi

  2. Department of Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics, Faculty of Nutrition Science and Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Mahdi Shadnoush

  3. Department of Genetics/Epigenetics, Faculty NT, Life Sciences, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany

    Sascha Tierling

  4. INRAE, AgroParisTech, Micalis Institute, Université Paris-Saclay, 78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France

    Luis G. Bermúdez-Humarán

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Cheraghpour, M., Fatemi, N., Shadnoush, M. et al. Immunomodulation aspects of gut microbiome-related interventional strategies in colorectal cancer. Med Oncol 41, 231 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12032-024-02480-9

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