Modified Danggui Beimu Kushen Pills Inhibit Tumor Growth and Regulates T Cell Subsets in H22 Hepatocellular Carcinoma-bearing Mice / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo explore the effects of modified Danggui Beimu Kushen pills on tumor growth and T-cell subsets in H22 hepatocellular carcinoma-bearing mice and to provide an experimental basis for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma with modified Danggui Beimu Kushen pills combined with immune checkpoint antibodies. MethodA H22 hepatocellular carcinoma-bearing mouse model was established. The modeled mice were randomized into model， cisplatin， low- （4 g·kg-1·d-1）， medium- （8 g·kg-1·d-1）， and high-dose （16 g·kg-1·d-1） modified Danggui Beimu Kushen pills groups. After continuous administration for 14 days， the mice were sacrificed on day 15. The tumor volume was measured on days 0， 4， 8， 12， 15 of drug administration. Tumors were weighed and thymus index and spleen index were calculated. Spleen lymphocytes were co-cultured with H22 hepatoma cells， and the tumor cell-killing rate was detected by the cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8）. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was carried to determine the mRNA levels of programmed cell death protein-1 （PD-1） and lymphocyte activation gene-3 （LAG-3） in spleen and tumor tissues. The number of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and the expression of PD-1 and LAG-3 were detected by immunohistochemistry （IHC）. ResultOn day 8 of drug administration， tumor volumes in all treatment groups decreased compared with that in the model group. On day 15， both tumor volume and tumor weight were significantly lower in the treatment groups than in the model group （P<0.01）， with the cisplatin group showing the most pronounced reduction. Compared with the model and cisplatin groups， medium- and high-dose modified Danggui Beimu Kushen pills increased the thymus index （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， all treatment groups showed increased spleen index （P<0.05， P<0.01）， with the cisplatin group showing the most significant increase. Compared with the model and cisplatin groups， all the groups of modified Danggui Beimu Kushen pills demonstrated increased number of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and tumor cell-killing rate in the spleen and tumor tissues （P<0.01） and down-regulated mRNA and protein levels of LAG-3 （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The high-dose group of modified Danggui Beimu Kushen pills had lower mRNA level of PD-1 in the tumor tissue than the model and cisplatin groups （P<0.01）. ConclusionModified Danggui Beimu Kushen pills may promote the proliferation and tumor microenvironment infiltration of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in H22 tumor-bearing mice by down-regulating LAG-3 expression， thereby improving T-cell immune activity and inhibiting tumor growth. This study provides an experimental basis for the combination of modified Danggui Beimu Kushen pills and immune checkpoint antibodies in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Construction and evaluation of risk prediction model for renal injury in tumor patients receiving PD-1 inhibitor treatment / 解放军医学杂志

Objective To explore the risk factors for renal injury in tumors patients treated with programmed death receptor-1(PD-1)inhibitor,and further construct a column chart model to predict the likelihood of renal injury in patients.Methods The present study is a single center retrospective analysis.447 patients with tumors treated with PD-1 inhibitors in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University between January 2018 and January 2021 were included and followed up until January 2022.Kidney injury was defined as acute kidney disease(AKD).All patients were divided into AKD group(n=71)and non-AKD group(n=376 according to whether PD-1 inhibitor associated with AKD development at the end of follow-up.Basic information,disease and medication situation,laboratory indicators,and the incidence of extrarenal immune related adverse events(irAEs)during follow-up period were compared between the two groups.Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to identify independent risk factors for PD-1 inhibitor associated AKD.The present study randomly divided all samples(n=447)into training set(n=313)and validation set(n=134)in a 7:3 ratio,built nomogram prediction models in the training set according to the screened independent risk factors,drawn the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves to evaluate the discrimination of the models,drawn calibration curves to evaluate the calibration of the models,and drawn clinical decision curve analysis(DCA)to explore the clinical validity and benefit rate of the models.Results The combination of antibiotics,diabetes,hypertension,extrarenal irAEs and cystatin C(Cys C)in AKD group were significantly higher than those in non-AKD group(P<0.05),but hemoglobin(Hb)was significantly lower than that in non-AKD group(P<0.05).Single factor logistic regression analysis showed that combination of antibiotics,diabetes,hypertension,extrarenal irAEs,lower Hb,estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR),higher blood urea nitrogen(BUN),serum creatinine(SCr),Cys C,fasting blood glucose(FBG),and alanine transaminase(ALT)were risk factors for PD-1 inhibitor related AKD(P<0.05).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that concomitant extrarenal irAEs,lower Hb,higher SCr,and direct bilirubin(DBIL)were independent risk factors for PD-1 inhibitor associated AKD(P<0.05).Based on the independent risk factors mentioned above,a column chart prediction model was further established and validated.The results showed that the area under the ROC curve(AUC)of the training and validation sets of the model were 0.703(95%CI 0.628-0.777)and 0.791(95%CI 0.671-0.911),respectively,indicating good discrimination.The calibration curves of both the training and validation sets hover around the ideal line of 45°,indicating that the model has good calibration.DCA shows that the constructed model curve is far away from the two polar lines(the curve with a net benefit of 0 and the curve with all samples being positive),indicating that the model has good clinical benefits.Conclusion The combination of extrarenal irAEs,lower Hb,higher SCr,and higher DBIL are independent risk factors for the occurrence of PD-1 inhibitor related AKD;The established column chart model has good discrimination and calibration,which can provide guidance for clinical practice.

LncRNA LINC01296 regulates PD-L1 to affect the immune escape of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells / 免疫学杂志

Long non coding RNA(lncRNA)LINC01296 plays a carcinogenic role in different tumor growth,apoptosis,and metastasis,but its mechanism in nasopharyngeal carcinoma is still unclear.The aim of this study is to study the mechanism of knockdown of long non-coding RNA(lncRNA)LINC01296 in inhibiting immune escape of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells by regulating programmed death ligand-1(PD-L1).In this study,human peripheral blood lymphocytes were isolated and cultured,and then co-cultured with human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells CNE-2Z,meantime,C57BL/6 mice were injected subcutaneously with CNE-2Z cells to establish a nasopharyngeal carcinoma xenograft model(24 mice).All of them were randomly grouped into control group,lncRNA LINC01296 knockdown group(transfected with lncRNA LINC01296 small interfering RNA(siRNA)),negative control group(transfected with lncRNA LINC01296 siRNA negative control and empty plasmid),and lncRNA LINC01296 knockdown + PD-L1 overexpression group(transfected with lncRNA LINC01296 siRNA and PD-L1 overexpression plasmid).After grouping and transfection,the proportion of activated CD8+ T cells in human peripheral blood lymphocytes was detected by flow cytometry;the killing rate of human peripheral blood lymphocytes to CNE-2Z cells was detected by cell count kit-8 method;the tumor volume of tumor-bearing mice was measured;the CD8 and PD-L1 positive expression in tumor tissue of tumor-bearing mice was measured by immunofluorescence staining;the expression of lncRNA LINC01296 and PD-L1 messenger RNA(mRNA)in CNE-2Z cells and tumor tissues were detected by real-time PCR assay;the expression of PD-L1 protein in CNE-2Z cells and tumor tissues was detected by Western blotting.The results showed that compared with control group,the proportion of activated CD8+ T cells in human peripheral blood lymphocytes,the killing rate of CNE-2Z cells,and the positive proportion of CD8 in tumor tissue of the lncRNA LINC01296 knockdown group increased(P<0.05),the tumor volume and the expression of positive proportion of PD-L1,double positive proportion of CD8 and PD-L1,lncRNA LINC01296,PD-L1 mRNA and protein in CNE-2Z cells and tumor tissue decreased(P<0.05);there was no obvious change in each index of the mice in the negative control group(P>0.05);overexpression of PD-L1 can weaken the effects of lncRNA LINC01296 knocking down on various indicators in CNE-2Z cells and mice.In summary,knockdown of lncRNA LINC01296 can promote the activation and infiltration of CD8+ T cells by down-regulating PD-L1,attenuate the immune escape of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells,and enhance the lethality of CD8+ T cells.

Research progress of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in the treatment of advanced bladder cancer / 中国综合临床

Bladder cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors of the urinary system, among which urothelial carcinoma is the main one. The traditional treatment methods are mainly surgical resection and chemotherapy, but the treatment effect of advanced patients is not good, and the prognosis is poor. In recent years, with the development of immune checkpoint inhibitors, there are many treatment options that are more effective than traditional therapies. Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)and programmed cell death ligand 1(PD-L1)inhibitors stop the negative regulation of the immune system by blocking the binding of PD-1 and PD-L1, thereby enhancing the anti-tumor activity of the body's immune system. This article mainly reviews the efficacy and safety of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors commonly used in the clinical treatment of locally advanced or metastatic urinary tract carcinoma of the bladder.

Effectiveness and safety of PD-1 inhibitors for immunotherapy in patients with advanced cancer:a real-world study in a Chinese cohort / 肿瘤

Objective:To study the effectiveness and safety of PD-1(programmed cell death protein-1,PD-1)inhibitors for the treatment of patients with advanced cancer in real-world in a Chinese cohort. Methods:Data of patients with advanced cancer who were admitted to the Department of Oncology,Renji Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine between May 2018 and September 2019 and received PD-1 inhibitor alone orcombined with otheranti-cancer therapies were collected.The clinical characteristics,therapeutic efficacy and adverse events were analyzed retrospectively. Results:A total of 75 patients with advanced cancer were included in this study.The cohort consisted of 53 males and 22 females with an average age of 60 years,among whom 60 patients had metastasis.Lung cancer(27 cases)and gastric cancer(12 cases)accounted for the largest proportion.Other cancer types included cancers of the digestive system(colorectal,liver,pancreatic,esophageal,and bile duct cancer),urinary system(kidney,pelvis,ureter,and bladder cancer)and female reproductive system(breast,cervical,and ovarian cancer),malignant melanoma,and head and neck cancer(nasopharyngeal and laryngeal cancer).Among all the patients studied,55 patients(73.3％)received PD-1 inhibitors as first-line and(or)second-line therapy,and 62 patients(82.7％)received PD-1 inhibitors in combination with other anti-cancer therapies.The objective response rate was 1 4.5％,disease control rate was 65.2％,the median progression-free survival was 6.1 months[95％confidence interval(C/):4.356-7.844],and the median overall survival was 1 8.0 months(95％CI:9.565-26.435).Adverse events,mainly grade 1 or grade 2,accured in 5 5 patients.The progression-free survival was 6.3 months in patients treated with PD-1 inhibitors as first-line and(or)second-line therapy,significantly longer than the 3.0-month-long progression-free survival of the patients treated with PD-1 inhibitors as third-line or multiline therapy[hazard ratio(HR)=0.492,95％Cl:0.244-0.992,P=0.048]. Conclusions:Immunotherapy with PD-1 inhibitors was effective and safe for patients with advanced cancer in real-world,especially in those who received PD-1 inhibitor treatment as first-or second-line therapy.

Screening and evaluation of the anti-tumor activity of peptide inhibitors targeting programmed death-ligand 1 / 中国热带医学

@#Abstract: Objective　The method of "molecular docking - molecular dynamics - in vitro pharmacology" was used to screen and optimize small molecule polypeptide compounds that can block PD-1/PD-L1 binding and have high anti-tumor activity. Methods Using the 5-peptide compound database constructed by our team and the three-dimensional structure data of the PD-L1 protein downloaded from the protein database (PDB), the peptide compounds obtained by flexible molecular docking using Molecular Operating Environment software. The molecular dynamics calculation and analysis of the compounds with the highest GWVI/WSA (generalized Born volume integral/weighted surface area) free energy change value (ΔG) were carried out, including the root mean square deviation (RMSD) of the position change of the weight atom and the interaction energy (the sum of Lennard-Jones potential and Coulombic energy). The blocking effect of ligand compounds on PD-1/PD-L1 binding was analyzed by the homogeneous time-resolved fluorescence (HTRF) technique. The co-culture system of Jurkat T lymphocytes and melanoma B16-F10 cells was established to explore the effect of compound ligands on the killing effect of T cells on tumors and the effect on the secretion level of IL-2 in the co-culture supernatant. Results The selected polypeptide compounds were analyzed by molecular dynamics, and the binding of RGGHA to RGGHH and PD-L1 was stable. There are many kinds of interactions between RGGHA and PD-L1，which can compete with PD-1 ligands to bind Asp122, Try123 and Lys124 sites of the PD-L1 protein and block PD-1/PD-L1 signal transduction. HTRF experiments showed that the binding inhibition rate of RGGHA to PD-1 and PD-L1 was 58.38%, and that of RGGHH was 42.73%. In addition, we established a co-culture system of Jurkat T lymphocytes and melanoma B16-F10 cells to explore the immunostimulatory effect and mechanism of peptides. The results show that RGGHA and RGGHH can significantly increase the secretion level of IL-2, improve the killing ability of T cells against tumor cells and activate the tumor immune microenvironment. Conclusions The study found that the polypeptide compounds RGGHA and RGGHH can effectively block the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction and reactivate the anti-cancer immune response, which can be used as lead compounds for new drug development.

Evaluation value of serum soluble programmed cell death protein 1, soluble B7 homolog 5 molecules combined with trefoil factor 2 on disease severity and death risk in patients with acute pancreatitis / 中国医师进修杂志

Objective:To investigate the value of serum soluble programmed cell death protein 1 (sPD-1), soluble B7 homolog 5 (sB7-H5) and trefoil factor 2 (TFF2) in evaluating the severity of disease and the risk of death in patients with acute pancreatitis (AP).Methods:A prospective research method was adopted. Three hundred and twenty-eight patients with AP (AP group) from February 2020 to February 2021 in Xiangyang Central Hospital were selected, including 124 patients with mild AP (MAP), 106 patients with moderately severe AP (MSAP) and 98 patients with severe AP (SAP). The serum levels of sPD-1, sB7-H5 and TFF2 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and compared with 60 healthy people (healthy control group). The patients with AP were followed up for 90 d, 284 patients survived and 44 died. The amylase, C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ (APACHE Ⅱ), sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA), modified CT severity index (MCTSI), sPD-1, sB7-H5 and TFF2 were compared between the two groups. Pearson method was used for correlation analysis. Multivariate Logistic regression was used to analyze the independent risk factors of death in patients with AP. The efficacy of sPD-1, sB7-H5 and TFF2 in predicting the death in patients with AP was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve.Results:The sPD-1, sB7-H5 and TFF2 in AP group were significantly higher than those in healthy control group: (177.99 ± 17.81) ng/L vs. (50.20 ± 10.81) ng/L, (2.69 ± 0.72) μg/L vs. (1.40 ± 0.35) μg/L and (569.97 ± 38.91) μg/L vs. (94.59 ± 11.98) μg/L, and there were statistical differences ( P<0.01). The amylase, sPD-1, sB7-H5 and TFF2 in patients with MSAP and SAP were significantly higher than those in patients with MAP: (639.36 ± 91.67) and (835.24 ± 109.30) U/L vs. (575.24 ± 89.78) U/L, (180.13 ± 20.61) and (221.17 ± 15.70) ng/L vs. (142.03 ± 16.76) ng/L, (2.85 ± 0.74) and (3.34 ± 0.82) μg/L vs. (2.05 ± 0.52) μg/L, (539.66 ± 36.58) and (763.55 ± 40.08) μg/L vs. (442.90 ± 35.79) μg/L, the indexes in patients with SAP were significantly higher than those in patients with MSAP, and there were statistical differences ( P<0.01). Pearson correlation analysis result showed that sPD-1 was positively correlated with sB7-H5 and TFF2 in patients with AP ( r = 0.552 and 0.641, P<0.01), and the sB7-H5 was positively correlated with TFF2 ( r = 0.610, P<0.01). The amylase, CRP, PCT, APACHE Ⅱ, SOFA, MCTSI, sPD-1, sB7-H5 and TFF2 in the dead patients were significantly higher than those in the living patients: (1 098 ± 105) U/L vs. (641 ± 93) U/L, (235.60 ± 40.17) mg/L vs. (118.04 ± 32.90) mg/L, (4.32 ± 0.52) μg/L vs. (3.14 ± 0.44) μg/L, (19.39 ± 3.14) scores vs. (11.18 ± 2.53) scores, (12.13 ± 2.78) scores vs. (7.40 ± 2.15) scores, (7.12 ± 1.73) scores vs. (4.31 ± 1.52) scores, (222.23 ± 22.30) ng/L vs. (171.14 ± 18.50) ng/L, (3.37 ± 0.89) μg/L vs. (2.59 ± 0.59) μg/L and (629.27 ± 39.63) μg/L vs. (560.78 ± 30.45) μg/L, and there were statistical differences ( P<0.01). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis result showed that CRP, PCT, APACHE Ⅱ, SOFA, sPD-1, sB7-H5 and TFF2 were independent risk factors death of in patients with AP ( OR = 1.339, 1.416, 1.285, 1.327, 1.092, 1.171 and 1.080; 95% CI 1.145 to 1.566, 1.146 to 1.751, 1.132 to 1.460, 1.150 to 1.531, 1.024 to 1.164, 1.072 to 1.280 and 1.031 to 1.131; P<0.01). The ROC curve analysis result showed that the area under the curve of sPD-1, sB7-H5 and TFF2 combined detection to predict the death in patients with AP was larger than that of sPD-1, sB7-H5, and TFF2 alone detection (0.870 vs. 0.771, 0.734 and 0.685). Conclusions:The increase of serum sPD-1, sB7-H5 and TFF2 levels in patients with AP is related to the severity of disease of patients with AP. The combined detection of the indexes can assist in evaluating the risk of death in patients with AP.

Anticancer effect of therapy by antibiotic combined with programmed cell death protein 1 in H_(22) hepatocellular carcinoma mouse model / 中国生物制品学杂志

@#Objective To investigate the influence of immunotherapy by antibiotic(ATB) combined with programmed cell death protein 1(PD1) on curative effect of hepatocellular carcinoma in mice.Methods H_(22) tumor-bearing male BALB/c mouse model was established.Eight model mice were injected i.p.with anti-PD1,250 μg for each,and administered intragastrically with ceftriaxone sodium(100 mg/kg) plus lincomycin hydrochloride(200 mg/kg),using eight normal mice administered intragastrically with normal saline(0.2 mL for each) as control.The anticancer effect of ATB combined with PD1 was evaluated by tumor size,hematoxylin-eo sin(HE) staining of tumor tissue and spleen index.The secretion levels of IL-2,IL-10 and IFN_γ in sera of mice were determined by ELISA,while the proportions of CD3~+ and CD8~+ T cells in mouse lymphocytes by flow cytometry,and the expression levels of CD3 and CD8 in mouse tumor tissue by immunohistochemistry(IHC) method.Results The therapy by ATB combined with anti-PD 1 showed significantly inhibitory effect on tumor growth,which increased the proportions of CD3~+ and CD8~+ T cells in T lymphocytes,up-regulated the secretion levels of IL-2,IL-10 and IFN_γ,and regulated the immune function of T cells by up-regulating the expression levels of CD3 and CD8 in tumor tissue to continuously activate the immune system and suppress the tumor.Conclusion Narrow-spectrum ATB may promote the effect of anti-PD 1 immunotherapy on tumors by improving immune function.

Quality evaluation of anti-PD-1/CTLA-4 bispecific antibody / 中国生物制品学杂志

@#Objective Establish quality control methods for critical quality attribute of bispecific antibody against programmed cell death protein 1(PD-1)/cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4(CTLA-4).Methods The biological activity of PD-1 target was determined by reporter gene assay,and the competitive binding activity of CTLA-4 target was determined by flow cytometry;The antibody molecular size variants were controlled by reducing/non-reducing capillary electrophoresis-sodium dodecyl sulfonate(CE-SDS) and size exclusion chromatography-high performance liquid chromatography(SEC-HPLC);Charge heterogeneity was determined by imaging capillary isoelectric focusing electrophoresis(iCIEF);Bispecific anti-PD-1/CTLA-4 antibody was identified by peptide map analysis;Glycosylation was analysed by high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC)Results The concentration for 50% of maximal effect(EC_(50)) of PD-1target was(6.91±0.78) nmol/L,and the relative biological potency to the reference was(103.50±13.08)% with the RSD of 12.64%;The EC_(50) of CTLA-4 target activity was(0.35±0.28) nmol/L,and the relative biological potency was(99.30±9.15)% with the RSD of 8.32%.The percentage of peak area of light chain and heavy chain of reducing CE-SDS was(98.86±0.02)%.The main peak area percentage of non-reducing CE-SDS was(93.07±0.13)%,fragment percentage was(4.44±0.13)%,and polymer percentage was(2.49±0.15)%.The peak area percentage of SEC-HPLC monomer and polymer were(97.20±0.01)% and(2.68±0.01)%,respectively.The area percentage of peak A group,peak B group,peak C group and peak D group were(38.43±0.54)%,(43.26±0.32)%,(11.31±0.14)% and(7.00±0.17)%,respectively.Peptide mapping showed the specific spectrum of the bispecific anti-PD-1/CTLA-4 antibody,which could be adopted for identification test.The highest proportion of glycotype was GOF,with a content of(41.06±0.11)%,There were three types of glycan containing sialic acid,namely G2F+G1F-NANA,G2F-NANA and G2F-2NANA,with the content of(12.44±0.12)%,(12.00±0.05)% and(5.37±0.05)%,respectively.The total content of glycan containing sialic acid was(29.80±0.20)%.Conclusion The critical quality attributes of bispecific anti-PD-1/CTLA-4 antibody were studied and the corresponding quality control methods were established to ensure its safety,effectiveness and quality control,which provides a reference for the quality control methods and strategies of this type of monoclonal antibody products.

Clinical Characteristics of Aggressive NK-Cell Leukemia / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore and summarize the clinical characteristics and treatment of aggressive NK-cell leukemia (ANKL), and provide new insights for clinical diagnosis and treatment of this disease.@*METHODS@#The clinical data of 7 patients with ANKL admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Wannan Medical College from March 2014 to July 2021 were retrospectively analyzed, and their clinical characteristics, laboratory and imaging results, treatment and outcomes were analyzed.@*RESULTS@#Among the 7 patients, 5 were males and 2 were females, with a median age of 47 (33-69) years old. The morphology of bone marrow cells in 7 patients showed similar large granular lymphocytes. Immunophenotyping revealed abnormal NK cells in 5 cases. By the end of follow-up, 6 cases died and 1 case survived, with a median survival time of 76.9 (4-347) days.@*CONCLUSION@#ANKL is a rare disease with short course and poor prognosis. If combined with hemophagocytic syndrome (HPS), the prognosis is even worse. There is no unified treatment method at present, and the use of PD-1 inhibitors may prolong the survival in some patients.

Levels and Clinical Significances of sPD-1 and sPD-L1 in Peripheral Blood of Lymphoma Patients / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the levels of soluble programmed cell death protein 1 (sPD-1) and soluble programmed cell death ligand 1 (sPD-L1) in peripheral blood of lymphoma patients, and reveal their clinical significances.@*METHODS@#The peripheral blood specimens and clinical data of 64 newly diagnosed lymphoma patients and 30 healthy volunteers were collected. The levels of sPD-1 and sPD-L1 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and their correlations with clinical characteristics of the patients including pathological type, stage, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level, T cell subsets were analyzed.@*RESULTS@#The levels of both sPD-1 and sPD-L1 in peripheral blood of lymphoma patients were higher than those of normal controls (P <0.05). There were no significant differences in sPD-1 and sPD-L1 levels in peripheral blood between Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients. Different pathological subtypes of lymphoma had different levels of sPD-1. The level of sPD-1 in patients with T-cell lymphoma was higher than that in patients with B-cell lymphoma (P =0.001). The levels of both sPD-1 and sPD-L1 in patients with Ann Arbor stage III and IV were higher than those in patients with stage I and II (P <0.05). The level of sPD-L1 in patients with abnormally increased LDH was higher than that in patients with normal LDH (P =0.001), but there was no significant difference in sPD-1 level. T cell subset analysis showed that the level of sPD-L1 was negatively correlated to CD4+ T cell content (r =-0.265).@*CONCLUSION@#The levels of sPD-1 and sPD-L1 in peripheral blood of lymphoma patients are related to the pathological type, Ann Arbor stage, LDH content and T cell subsets, and will be potential biomarkers in predicting the prognosis of lymphoma.

Neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with stereotactic body radiation therapy for stage Ⅲ/N2 non-small cell lung cancer: Three cases reports / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#We reported three cases of stageⅢ/N2 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with neoadjuvant immunotherapy and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) in our hospital, including 2 males and 1 female with a mean age of 65.7 years. The patients received two doses of the programmed cell death protein-1 inhibitor toripalimab after 1 week of SBRT. Thereafter, surgery was planned 4-6 weeks after the second dose. One patient achieved pathologic complete response, one achieved major pathologic response (MPR), and one did not achieve MPR with 20% residual tumor. There were few side effects of toripalimab combined with SBRT as a neoadjuvant treatment, and the treatment did not cause a delay of surgery.

sPD-1 and changes of lymphocyte subsets in predicting the prognosis of patients with sepsis: a prospective cohort study / 中华急诊医学杂志

Objective:To observe the dynamic changes of soluble programmed cell death protein 1 (sPD-1) and cellular immunity and humoral immunity in patients with sepsis and septic shock, and to explore the relationship between sPD-1 and immunosuppression in sepsis.Methods:This study was a prospective cohort study. Patients with sepsis and septic shock admitted to the ICU of General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University from June 2018 to December 2018 were included as the study subjects, ordinary postoperative patients admitted to the ICU during the same period were included as the non-sepsis group, and healthy volunteers matched in age and sex were included as healthy controls. The sPD-1, lymphocyte count, serum immunoglobulin and lymphocyte subsets of peripheral blood on the first, third and seventh days after admission to the ICU were detected. The changes of sPD-1 and various immune indices in each group were compared, and the correlation between the indices was analyzed. For healthy controls and non-sepsis patients, only blood samples were tested on the day of inclusion.Results:A total of 90 patients [58 males and 32 females, aged (58.36±17.46) years] were included in this study, including 29 cases of sepsis, 31 cases of septic shock, 15 cases of non-sepsis, and 15 volunteers were recruited as healthy control group. The 28-day fatality rate of patients in the sepsis and septic shock groups was 28.3%. On the first day of ICU admission, the sPD-1 concentration were significantly higher in the septic shock group and sepsis group than those in the non-sepsis group and healthy control group [512.64 (216.85, 1039.41) pg/mL vs. 261.90 (191.96, 421.99) pg/mL vs. 191.56 (151.26, 232.66) pg/mL vs. 200.51 (162.14, 241.26) pg/mL, all P<0.05]. The sPD-1 concentration in the septic shock group was significantly higher than that in the sepsis group, and this phenomenon persisted for at least one week ( P<0.05). The lymphocyte count on the first day in the sepsis and septic shock groups were significantly lower than those in the healthy control and non-sepsis groups (all P<0.05), and the lymphocyte count in the septic shock group remained lower levels until the seventh day of ICU admission (all P<0.05). The percentage of lymphocytes and total T lymphocytes in the sepsis and septic shock groups were significantly lower than those in the healthy control and non-sepsis groups (all P<0.05), while the percentage of total B lymphocytes did not differ between groups (all P>0.05). The percentage of CD8+ T lymphocytes on the seventh day of ICU admission in the septic shock group was still significantly lower than that in the sepsis group [(18.36±2.23)% vs. (28.28±2.97)%, P<0.05]. The levels of serum immunoglobulin IgG and IgM were significantly lower in the sepsis and septic shock group than those in the healthy control and non-sepsis groups (all P<0.05), and the IgG and IgM in the sepsis and septic shock groups returned to normal on the seventh day of ICU admission. The area under the ROC curve was used to evaluate the predictive value of sPD-1 on poor prognosis, and the results showed that sPD-1 on the seventh day of ICU had a good predictive value for 28-day prognosis in patients with sepsis and septic shock, and the best cut-off value was 286.52 pg/mL, with a sensitivity of 100.00% and specificity of 56.25%. Conclusions:Immunosuppression occurs in patients with sepsis and septic shock in the early stage, and the duration of immunosuppression in patients with septic shock is prolonged, but humoral immunosuppression plays a major defense in the early stage, and cellular immunosuppression is dominant in the later stage.

Tumor microenvironment responsive liposomes blocking CXCL12/CXCR4 pathway and synergistically enhancing immune efficacy of anti-PD-L1 / 药学学报

Blocking immune checkpoint programmed cell death receptor 1 (PD-1) or programmed death receptor-ligand 1 (PD-L1) can enhance anti-tumor activity of effector T cells. However, the lack of response in many patients to PD-1/PD-L1 therapy remains a question. Improving the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) to enhance the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors has become a promising cancer treatment strategy. We constructed a liposome system (PD-L1/siCXCL12-Lp) of CXCL12 siRNA and anti-PD-L1 peptide with matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) responsiveness, which combined the TME regulation of siCXCL12 and the immune regulation of anti-PD-L1 peptide. All animal experiments were approved by the Biomedical Ethics Committee of Peking University. The authors found that PD-L1/siCXCL12-Lp directly down-regulated the expression of CXCL12 in vitro (33.8%) and in vivo (15.5%). It also effectively increased the ratio of CD8+/Treg by 20.0%, which helped the anti-PD-L1 peptide to better exert its immune effect. The combination therapy significantly inhibited tumor growth (52.08%) with great safety, which explored a new idea for cancer immunotherapy.

Tumor immune checkpoint therapy and the drug delivery strategies / 药学学报

Tumor immune checkpoint therapy is a clinical treatment strategy developed based on the new principle of the inhibition of negative immune regulation. In this article, the tumor immune checkpoint therapy and the drug delivery strategies were reviewed, mainly including immunity and tumor therapy, tumor immune checkpoint therapy and its mechanism of action, clinical application of tumor immune checkpoint therapy and therapeutic drugs, immune resistance of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD1)/programmed cell death ligand 1 (PDL1) treatment and countermeasures, drug delivery strategies for tumor immune checkpoint therapeutic agents, etc. As a revolutionary new immunotherapy strategy, tumor immune checkpoint therapy has shown obvious superior therapeutic efficacy in a variety types of tumor. However, tumor immune checkpoint therapy is also faced with a big challenge, namely, immunotherapy resistance. With the discovery of new mechanism, the continuous development of new therapeutic drugs and delivery strategies, tumor immune checkpoint therapy is expected to further improve the clinical efficacy of tumor.

A multicenter retrospective study of immunotherapy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma / 中华泌尿外科杂志

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and side effects of PD-1 monoclonal antibody in the treatment of advanced metastatic renal cell carcinoma in China.Methods:The clinical data of 117 patients with advanced metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) treated with PD-1 monoclonal antibody from October 2016 to February 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 87 males (74.4%) and 30 females (25.6%), with an average age of (57.9±10.9) years old, BMI of (23.6±3.4) kg/m 2and smoking history of 79 (67.5%). There were 44 cases (37.6%) with hypertension, 19 (16.2%) cases of diabetes. The ECOG score of 59.8% (70/117) patients was 0, 33.3% (39/117) was 1, 4.3% (5/117) was 2, and 2.5% (3/117) was 3. The pathological type of 104 cases were renal clear cell carcinoma (ccRCC), 8 cases of papillary renal cell carcinoma, 2 cases of chromophobe cell carcinoma, 2 cases of collecting duct carcinoma and 1 case of eosinophilic cell carcinoma. The general condition of the overall population and the overall survival (OS) of relevant subgroups were analyzed. Secondary goals included progression free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), adverse reactions, overall survival (OS), and progression free survival (PFS). Results:65.8% (77 / 117) of the patients chose targeted combined with PD-1 monoclonal antibody in the first-line treatment. The main targeted drugs were acitinib (81.8%, 63 / 77), tirelizumab (37.6%, 29 / 77) and cindilimab (25.9%, 20 / 77). After first-line treatment, 19.6.1% (23 / 117) patients needed to be converted to second-line treatment, and 15 patients changed the type of PD-1 antibody during treatment. In addition, the targeted drug of combined therapy was replaced by acitinib in 8 patients. The main causes of drug withdrawal were disease progression (70.7%, 29 / 41) and death (29.2%, 12 / 41). The median OS of the overall population was 35.6 (19-60) months and PFS was 12.1 (1-60) months. The ORR of the overall population was 47.8% (56 / 117). 4.2% (5/117) patients had complete remission, another 17.0% (20/117) patients were in stable condition, and 43.5% (51 / 117) patients were in partial remission. In the first-line treatment, the median PFS time of targeted combined with PD-1 monoclonal antibody was 12.6 (1-30) months, the median PFS time of PD-1 single drug immunotherapy was 10.5 (1-60) months. In the second-line treatment, the PFS of patients treated with PD-1 monoclonal antibody was 10.1 (4-19) months, and that of patients treated with PD-1 monoclonal antibody combined with targeted therapy was 11.7 (1-25) months. The most common adverse reactions were elevated blood pressure (18.5%, 23 / 124), followed by hypothyroidism (15.3%%, 19/124), rash (14.5%, 18 / 124), elevated transaminase (10.5%, 13 / 124) and bone marrow suppression (9.7%, 12/124). 9.4% (11 / 117) patients needed to reduce the related adverse reactions by interrupting the treatment control of PD-1 monoclonal antibody.Conclusions:The safety and efficacy of PD-1 monoclonal antibody in domestic patients are better, and the side effects are less. The efficacy and safety of PD-1 monoclonal antibody combined with targeted therapy in the real world population are consistent with many key clinical trials abroad. PD-1 monoclonal antibody combined with targeted drugs can be popularized in the domestic MRCC population.

Immune Checkpoint Molecules in Cancer Cells: Not in Their Places but on Their Duty / 中国生物化学与分子生物学报

Immune checkpoints represent a group of inhibitory receptor molecules that are expresses in the surface of immune cells and play a pivotal role in maintaining immune homeostasis. In recent years, several key immune checkpoint molecules such as CTLA-4 and PD-1, has been found to exist in some kinds of tumor cells. These ectopic expressed checkpoint molecules are named as “cancer cell-intrinsic immune checkpoint molecules”. Although our understanding on cancer cell-intrinsic immune checkpoint molecules is quite limited, emerging evidence suggests that the expression and the biological functions of such molecules in different types of cancer cells are heterozygous and diverse. In particular, the discovery of “adaptive immune-independent” regulation on cancer cell behaviors would potentially benefit to design a customized cancer immune therapy, as well as to develop new therapeutic strategies for cancer. In this review, we will briefly describe the timeline of the studies, deeply discuss the complicated biological functions and the regulatory mechanisms (CTLA-4 and PD-1 as representative examples). And finally we put forward a research perspective on cancer cell-intrinsic immune checkpoint molecules. This review aims to present and promote the studies of cancer cell-intrinsic immune checkpoint molecules to the broad scientific community.

Safety of PD-1 inhibitor in preoperative treatment of liver transplantation for liver cancer / 器官移植

Objective To evaluate the safety of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitor in the treatment of primary liver cancer (liver cancer) before liver transplantation. Methods Clinical data of 7 recipients given with PD-1 inhibitor before liver transplantation for liver cancer were retrospectively analyzed. The incidence of immune-related adverse event (irAE) and clinical prognosis of the recipients were summarized. The safety of PD-1 inhibitor in recipients prior to liver transplantation for liver cancer was evaluated. Results Seven recipients were treated with PD-1 inhibitor with 1-20 courses before liver transplantation for liver cancer. The time interval from drug withdrawal to liver transplantation was 6-120 d. Five recipients suffered from irAE of different degrees, including fatigue in 3 cases, fever in 2 cases, alopecia in 2 cases, rash in 1 case, nausea in 1 case and myocarditis in 1 case, respectively. A majority of these irAE were classified as grade Ⅰ-Ⅱ. One recipient died from grade Ⅴ irAE (fatal myocarditis). One recipient developed rejection at postoperative 7 d, which were mitigated after glucocorticoid pulse therapy combined with increased dosage of tacrolimus. Conclusions PD-1 inhibitor can be applied in preoperative treatment before liver transplantation for liver cancer. Nevertheless, the incidence of irAE and postoperative rejection should be intimately monitored.

Role of PD-1/PD-L1 signaling pathway in immune response of liver transplantation / 器官移植

Primary liver cancer (liver cancer) is one of the main indications of liver transplantation. However, postoperative recurrence of liver cancer severely affects the long-term clinical efficacy of liver transplantation. Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) is an immunosuppressive molecule. Activation of PD-1/programmed cell death protein-ligand 1 (PD-L1) signaling pathway plays a pivotal role in the immune tolerance of grafts. In recent years, immune checkpoint inhibitor(ICI), such as PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor, has become one of the effective approaches to treat advanced liver cancer, whereas ICI can be applied in liver transplant recipients is highly controversial, and the efficacy and safety remain to be studied. In this article, the expression of PD-1/PD-L1 in liver allograft tissues, the mechanism of PD-1/PD-L1 inducing transplantation immune tolerance and clinical application of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor in liver transplantation for liver cancer were reviewed.

Research progress on malignant tumor after lung transplantation / 器官移植

Lung transplantation has become the most effective treatment of end-stage lung diseases. Along with persistent optimization of lung transplantation technique and perioperative management, the short-term clinical efficacy after lung transplantation has been significantly improved, whereas the long-term clinical prognosis remains unoptimistic. Besides chronic lung allograft dysfunction, postoperative malignant tumors also threaten the long-term survival of the recipients. Common malignant tumors following lung transplantation include nonmelanoma skin cancer, posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease and lung cancer. After solid organ transplantation, a large majority of the recipients require lifelong immunosuppressive therapy. The intensity of immunosuppressive therapy for the lung transplant recipients is generally higher than other organ transplant recipients. Immunosuppression is the main factor which leads to the impairment of anti-tumor immune monitoring function and promotes the incidence and development of malignant tumors. In this article, the risk factors, prevention and treatment of the most common malignant tumors after lung transplantation were reviewed, aiming to provide reference for comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of malignant tumors following lung transplantation.