A toll-like receptor agonist mimicking microbial signal to generate tumor-suppressive macrophages

Yanxian Feng, Ruoyu Mu, Zhenzhen Wang, Panfei Xing, Junfeng Zhang, Lei Dong () and Chunming Wang ()
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Yanxian Feng: University of Macau
Ruoyu Mu: University of Macau
Zhenzhen Wang: Nanjing University
Panfei Xing: University of Macau
Junfeng Zhang: Nanjing University
Lei Dong: Nanjing University
Chunming Wang: University of Macau

Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Abstract Switching macrophages from a pro-tumor type to an anti-tumor state is a promising strategy for cancer immunotherapy. Existing agents, many derived from bacterial components, have safety or specificity concerns. Here, we postulate that the structures of the bacterial signals can be mimicked by using non-toxic biomolecules of simple design. Based on bioactivity screening, we devise a glucomannan polysaccharide with acetyl modification at a degree of 1.8 (acGM-1.8), which specifically activates toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) signaling and consequently induces macrophages into an anti-tumor phenotype. For acGM-1.8, the degree of acetyl modification, glucomannan pattern, and acetylation-induced assembly are three crucial factors for its bioactivity. In mice, intratumoral injection of acGM-1.8 suppresses the growth of two tumor models, and this polysaccharide demonstrates higher safety than four classical TLR agonists. In summary, we report the design of a new, safe, and specific TLR2 agonist that can generate macrophages with strong anti-tumor potential in mice.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-10354-2

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