RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Circulating monocytes are classified into three subsets according to their CD14 and CD16 expressions. Here we investigated all three subsets in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). METHODS: Peripheral blood from 54 patients with SCCHN and 24 healthy donors (HDs) was tested for flowcytometry. Immunohistochemical staining of the primary tumor was performed. SCCHN cells were co-cultured with human monocytes in vitro. RESULTS: The level of intermediate monocytes was significantly lower in SCCHN than in HDs. The expression levels of HLA-G, PD-L1, and CD51 on intermediate monocytes was evidently greater in patients with SCCHN. In vitro co-culturing of SCCHN cells with monocytes revealed a significant increase in CD51 expression levels on monocytes. The decrease in expression levels of the maturation markers CX3CR1 and CD68 was significantly correlated to poor clinical outcomes. CONCLUSION: The level of intermediate monocytes was decreased in cancer patients in favor of immature and expressed immunosuppressive molecules.
Assuntos
Neoplasias de Cabeça e Pescoço/imunologia , Monócitos/imunologia , Carcinoma de Células Escamosas de Cabeça e Pescoço/imunologia , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Antígeno B7-H1/metabolismo , Circulação Sanguínea , Feminino , Citometria de Fluxo , Antígenos HLA-G , Humanos , Imunofenotipagem , Receptores de Lipopolissacarídeos/metabolismo , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Receptores de IgG/metabolismo , Regulação para CimaRESUMO
Milk fat globule-epidermal growth factor 8 (MFG-E8) is a glycoprotein secreted by the activated macrophages and acts as a bridge between apoptotic cells and phagocytes. Aside from macrophages, a variety of malignant cells also express MFG-E8. The objective of this study is to elucidate the clinical relevance and significance of MFG-E8 in the tumor microenvironment (TME) of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). We investigated MFG-E8 expression in 74 patients with OSCC by immunohistochemistry and evaluated the relationship between MFG-E8 expression and various clinicopathological factors including immune cell infiltration. MFG-E8 expression was detected in 34 of 74 (45.9%) patients with OSCC and a significant correlation was observed with levels of infiltrating T cells, macrophages, and immunosuppressive M2 macrophages. Furthermore, MFG-E8 expression was also associated with clinical stage, lymphatic/vascular invasion, and Ki-67+ tumor cells but not with survival. Our results suggest that MFG-E8 may play an important role in shaping the immune suppressive network in TME as well as tumor progression.