Lactate-induced activation of tumor-associated fibroblasts and IL-8-mediated macrophage recruitment promote lung cancer progression.

Alterations in the tumor microenvironment are closely associated with the metabolic phenotype of tumor cells. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play a pivotal role in tumor growth and metastasis. Existing studies have suggested that lactate produced by tumor cells can activate CAFs, yet the precise underlying mechanisms remain largely unexplored. In this study, we initially identified that lactate derived from lung cancer cells can promote nuclear translocation of NUSAP1, subsequently leading to the recruitment of the transcriptional complex JUNB-FRA1-FRA2 near the DESMIN promoter and facilitating DESMIN transcriptional activation, thereby promoting CAFs' activation. Moreover, DESMIN-positive CAFs, in turn, secrete IL-8, which recruits TAMs or promotes M2 polarization of macrophages, further contributing to the alterations in the tumor microenvironment and facilitating lung cancer progression. Furthermore, we observed that the use of IL-8 receptor antagonists, SB225002, or Navarixin, significantly reduced TAM infiltration and enhanced the therapeutic efficacy of anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1 treatment. This finding indicates that inhibiting IL-8R activity can attenuate the impact of CAFs on the tumor microenvironment, thus restraining the progression of lung cancer.

The mechanism of cadmium sorption by sulphur-modified wheat straw biochar and its application cadmium-contaminated soil.

Cadmium (Cd) pollution in soils has received considerable research attention globally, and sulphur-modified biochar (SBC) could combine the advantages of biochar and the sulphur element for Cd remediation. Biochar from agricultural waste is feasible, which has a low preparation cost. However, there are few studies regarding the effects of the sulphur modification of biochar on the Cd immobilization mechanism. This study aimed to research the Cd immobilization mechanism of pristine wheat straw biochar (BC) and sulphur-modified biochar (SBC), and the Cd immobilization effects of BC and SBC in Cd-contaminated soils. Elemental and SEM analysis confirmed that sulphur was successfully loaded on the pristine biochar. XPS analysis confirmed that there was a considerable discrepancy between adsorption mechanisms of Cd on BC and SBC. In particular, cadmium sorption on BC was due to Cd(OH)2 and CdCO3 precipitation formation and interaction with carbonyl and carboxyl groups, whereas on SBC, sorption was mainly due to CdS and CdHS+ formation and interaction with organic sulphide. In the incubation experiment, SBC and BC additions increased pH value and also reduced the available Cd concentrations in the soil. Compared with the control, the contents of available Cd in soil were significantly decreased by 15.86% ~ 22.10% and 22.72% ~ 27.90%, following treatments with BC and SBC, respectively.