Macrophages are essential in eliciting antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP) of cancer cells. However, a satisfactory anticancer efficacy of ADCP is contingent on early antibody administration, and resistance develops along with cancer progression. Here, we investigate the mechanisms underlying ADCP and demonstrate an effective combinatorial strategy to potentiate its efficacy. We identified paclitaxel as a universal adjuvant that efficiently potentiated ADCP by a variety of anticancer antibodies in multiple cancers. Rather than eliciting cytotoxicity on cancer cells, paclitaxel polarized macrophages toward a state with enhanced phagocytic ability. Paclitaxel-treated macrophages down-regulated cell surface CSF1R whose expression was negatively correlated with patient survival in multiple malignancies. The suppression of CSF1R in macrophages enhanced ADCP of cancer cells, suggesting a role of CSF1R in regulating macrophage phagocytic ability. Together, these findings define a potent strategy for using conventional anticancer drugs to stimulate macrophage phagocytosis and promote the therapeutic efficacy of clinical anticancer antibodies.

A key event required for effective resolution of inflammation is efferocytosis, which is defined as phagocytic removal of apoptotic cells mostly by macrophages acquiring an alternatively activated phenotype (M2). c‐Myc has been reported to play a role in alternative activation of human macrophages and is proposed as one of the M2 macrophage markers. We found that M2‐like peritoneal macrophages from zymosan A‐treated mice exhibited a marked accumulation of Myc‐nick, a truncated protein generated by a Calpain‐mediated proteolytic cleavage of full‐ length c‐Myc. Further, ectopic expression of Myc‐nick in murine bone marrow‐derived macrophages promoted the M2 polarization and, consequently, enhanced their efferocytic capability. Notably, Myc‐nick‐induced efferocytosis was found to be tightly associated with α‐tubulin acetylation by K acetyltransferase 2a (Kat2a/Gcn5) activity. These findings suggest Myc‐nick as a novel proresolving mediator that has a fundamental function in maintaining homeostasis under inflammatory conditions.—Zhong, X., Lee, H.‐N., Kim, S. H., Park, S.‐A., Kim, W., Cha, Y.‐N., Surh, Y.‐J. Myc‐nick promotes efferocytosis through M2 macrophage polarization during resolution of inflammation. FASEB J. 32, 5312–5325 (2018). www.fasebj.org

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are often the most abundant immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Strategies targeting TAMs to enable tumor cell killing through cellular phagocytosis have emerged as promising cancer immunotherapy. Although several phagocytosis checkpoints have been identified, the desired efficacy has not yet been achieved by blocking such checkpoints in preclinical models or clinical trials. Here, we showed that late-stage non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) was resistant to therapy targeting phagocytosis checkpoint CD47 due to the compromised capacity of TAMs to phagocytose lymphoma cells. Via a high-throughput screening of the US Food and Drug Administration–approved anticancer small molecule compounds, we identified paclitaxel as a potentiator that promoted the clearance of lymphoma by directly evoking phagocytic capability of macrophages, independently of paclitaxel’s chemotherapeutic cytotoxicity toward NHL cells. A combination with paclitaxel dramatically enhanced the anticancer efficacy of CD47-targeted therapy toward late-stage NHL. Analysis of TME by single-cell RNA sequencing identified paclitaxel-induced TAM populations with an upregulation of genes for tyrosine kinase signaling. The activation of Src family tyrosine kinases signaling in macrophages by paclitaxel promoted phagocytosis against NHL cells. In addition, we identified a role of paclitaxel in modifying the TME by preventing the accumulation of a TAM subpopulation that was only present in late-stage lymphoma resistant to CD47-targeted therapy. Our findings identify a novel and effective strategy for NHL treatment by remodeling TME to enable the tumoricidal roles of TAMs. Furthermore, we characterize TAM subgroups that determine the efficiency of lymphoma phagocytosis in the TME and can be potential therapeutic targets to unleash the antitumor activities of macrophages.

Xiancai Zhong, Young-Joon Surh, Seon-Gil Do, Eunju Shin, Kyu-Suk Shim, Chong-Kil Lee, Hye-Kyung Na. J Cancer Prev 2019;24:129-38. https://doi.org/10.15430/JCP.2019.24.2.129

Aims: To evaluate the effects of oligonol administration on experimentally induced colitis and colonic adenoma formation. Results: Oral administration of oligonol protected against mouse colitis induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS). Under the same experimental conditions, oligonol administration significantly inhibited the activation of nuclear factor-kappa B and signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 3 and expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and cyclin D1 in the mouse colon. Further, oligonol inhibited azoxymethane-initiated and DSS-promoted adenoma formation in the mouse colon. Oligonol administration also attenuated lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde) and protein oxidation (4-hydroxy-2-nonenal), thereby preventing oxidative stress-induced apoptosis of colonic epithelial cells. In vitro studies demonstrated that oligonol treatment reduced lipopolysaccharide-induced expression of interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor α, il-6, cox-2, and inos in murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cells. In another study, oligonol upregulated the antioxidant gene expression in the intestinal epithelial CCD841CoN cells and in the mouse colon. Innovation: Oligonol, an innovative formulation of catechin-type oligomers derived from the lychee fruit extract, was tested in this study for the first time to evaluate its effects on experimentally induced colitis and colonic adenoma formation in mice. Conclusion: Oligonol is effective in protecting against DSS-induced mouse colitis and colon carcinogenesis, suggesting that this polyphenol formulation may have a potential for the amelioration of inflammatory bowel disease and related disorders. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 19, 102–114.

Perilla frutescens is a culinary and medicinal herb which has a strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects. In the present study, we investigated the effects of Perilla frutescens extract (PE) against dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced mouse colitis, an animal model that mimics human inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Five-week-old male ICR mice were treated with a daily dose of PE (20 or 100 mg/kg, p.o.) for 1 week, followed by administration of 3% DSS in double distilled drinking water and PE by gavage for another week. DSS-induced colitis was characterized by body weight loss, colon length shortening, diarrhea and bloody stool, and these symptoms were significantly ameliorated by PE treatment. PE administration suppressed DSS-induced expression of proinflammatory enzymes, including cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase as well as cyclin D1, in a dose-dependent fashion. Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and signal transduction and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) are major transcriptional regulators of inflammatory signaling. PE administration significantly inhibited the activation of both NF-κB and STAT3 induced by DSS, while it elevated the accumulation of Nrf2 and heme oxygenase-1 in the colon. In another experiment, treatment of CCD841CoN human normal colon epithelial cells with PE (10 mg/ml) resulted in the attenuation of the tumor necrosis factor--induced expression/activation of mediators of proinflammatory signaling. The above results indicate that PE has a preventive potential for use in the management of IBD.