Thymosin alpha-1 blocks the accumulation of myeloid suppressor cells in NSCLC by inhibiting VEGF production

• Main Authors: Zhenzhen Yang, Jiacheng Guo, Kang Cui, Yabing Du, Huan Zhao, Lili Zhu, Lanling Weng, Wenxue Tang, Jiancheng Guo, Tengfei Zhang, Xiaojing Shi, Hong Zong, Shuiling Jin, Wang Ma
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2020-11-01
• Series: Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy
• Subjects: Thymosin alpha-1; Myeloid-derived suppressor cells; Tumor microenvironment; Non-small cell lung carcinoma; VEGF
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0753332220309331

Background: Thymosin alpha-1 (TA) has been reported to inhibit tumor growth as an immunomodulator. However, its mechanism of action in immunosuppressive cells is unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether TA can reshape the immune microenvironment by inhibiting the function of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Methods: The effects of TA on peripheral blood monocytic MDSCs (M-MDSCs) in patients with NSCLC and on the apoptosis and migration of M-MDSCs were studied. A mouse subcutaneous xenograft tumor model was constructed, and the effect of TA on M-MDSC migration was evaluated. Quantitative real-time PCR, Western blotting, flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry were used to examine the mechanism by which TA affects M-MDSCs. Results: TA not only promoted the apoptosis of M-MDSCs by reducing the Bcl-2/BAX ratio but also and more importantly inhibited the migration of MDSCs to the tumor microenvironment by suppressing the production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) through the downregulation of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α in tumor cells. Conclusions: TA may have a novel antitumor effect mediated by decreasing M-MDSC accumulation in the tumor microenvironment through reduced VEGF production.