The role of intestinal flora on tumor immunotherapy: recent progress and treatment implications
Yimin Zhou,
Xiangdong Liu,
Wei Gao,
Xin Luo,
Junying Lv,
Yunshan Wang,
Duanrui Liu
Affiliations
Yimin Zhou
School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan 250011, China
Xiangdong Liu
Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan 250021, China; Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan 250021, China
Wei Gao
School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan 250011, China
Xin Luo
School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan 250011, China
Junying Lv
Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan 250021, China; Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan 250021, China
Yunshan Wang
Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan 250021, China; Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan 250021, China; Corresponding author. Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China.
Duanrui Liu
Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan 250021, China; Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan 250021, China; Corresponding author. Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China.
Immunotherapy, specifically immune checkpoint inhibitors, has emerged as a promising approach for treating malignant tumors. The gut, housing approximately 70 % of the body's immune cells, is abundantly populated with gut bacteria that actively interact with the host's immune system. Different bacterial species within the intestinal flora are in a delicate equilibrium and mutually regulate each other. However, when this balance is disrupted, pathogenic microorganisms can dominate, adversely affecting the host's metabolism and immunity, ultimately promoting the development of disease. Emerging researches highlight the potential of interventions such as fecal microflora transplantation (FMT) to improve antitumor immune response and reduce the toxicity of immunotherapy. These remarkable findings suggest the major role of intestinal flora in the development of cancer immunotherapy and led us to the hypothesis that intestinal flora transplantation may be a new breakthrough in modifying immunotherapy side effects.
