Frontiers in Pharmacology (Apr 2023)

Chemotherapeutic and targeted drugs-induced immunogenic cell death in cancer models and antitumor therapy: An update review

  • Jiaqi Zhai,
  • Xi Gu,
  • Yang Liu,
  • Yueting Hu,
  • Yi Jiang,
  • Zhenyong Zhang

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2023.1152934
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14

Abstract

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As traditional strategies for cancer treatment, some chemotherapy agents, such as doxorubicin, oxaliplatin, cyclophosphamide, bortezomib, and paclitaxel exert their anti-tumor effects by inducing immunogenic cell death (ICD) of tumor cells. ICD induces anti-tumor immunity through release of, or exposure to, damage-related molecular patterns (DAMPs), including high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), calreticulin, adenosine triphosphate, and heat shock proteins. This leads to activation of tumor-specific immune responses, which can act in combination with the direct killing functions of chemotherapy drugs on cancer cells to further improve their curative effects. In this review, we highlight the molecular mechanisms underlying ICD, including those of several chemotherapeutic drugs in inducing DAMPs exposed during ICD to activate the immune system, as well as discussing the prospects for application and potential role of ICD in cancer immunotherapy, with the aim of providing valuable inspiration for future development of chemoimmunotherapy.

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