AUTHOR=Hamada Kazuyuki , Isobe Junya , Hattori Kouya , Hosonuma Masahiro , Baba Yuta , Murayama Masakazu , Narikawa Yoichiro , Toyoda Hitoshi , Funayama Eiji , Tajima Kohei , Shida Midori , Hirasawa Yuya , Tsurui Toshiaki , Ariizumi Hirotsugu , Ishiguro Tomoyuki , Suzuki Risako , Ohkuma Ryotaro , Kubota Yutaro , Sambe Takehiko , Tsuji Mayumi , Wada Satoshi , Kiuchi Yuji , Kobayashi Shinichi , Kuramasu Atsuo , Horiike Atsushi , Kim Yun-Gi , Tsunoda Takuya , Yoshimura Kiyoshi 

TITLE=Turicibacter and Acidaminococcus predict immune-related adverse events and efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitor

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2023.1164724

DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2023.1164724

ISSN=1664-3224

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Introduction</title><p>Immune checkpoint inhibitors have had a major impact on cancer treatment. Gut microbiota plays a major role in the cancer microenvironment, affecting treatment response. The gut microbiota is highly individual, and varies with factors, such as age and race. Gut microbiota composition in Japanese cancer patients and the efficacy of immunotherapy remain unknown. </p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>We investigated the gut microbiota of 26 patients with solid tumors prior to immune checkpoint inhibitor monotherapy to identify bacteria involved in the efficacy of these drugs and immune-related adverse events (irAEs).</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>The genera <italic>Prevotella</italic> and <italic>Parabacteroides</italic> were relatively common in the group showing efficacy towards the anti-PD-1 antibody treatment (effective group). The proportions of <italic>Catenibacterium</italic> (P = 0.022) and <italic>Turicibacter</italic> (P = 0.049) were significantly higher in the effective group than in the ineffective group. In addition, the proportion of <italic>Desulfovibrion</italic> (P = 0.033) was significantly higher in the ineffective group. Next, they were divided into irAE and non-irAE groups. The proportions of <italic>Turicibacter</italic> (P = 0.001) and <italic>Acidaminococcus</italic> (P = 0.001) were significantly higher in the group with irAEs than in those without, while the proportions of <italic>Blautia</italic> (P = 0.013) and the unclassified <italic>Clostridiales</italic> (P = 0.027) were significantly higher in the group without irAEs than those with. Furthermore, within the Effective group, <italic>Acidaminococcus</italic> and <italic>Turicibacter</italic> (both P = 0.001) were more abundant in the subgroup with irAEs than in those without them. In contrast, <italic>Blautia</italic> (P = 0.021) and <italic>Bilophila</italic> (P= 0.033) were statistically significantly more common in those without irAEs.</p></sec><sec><title>Discussion</title><p>Our Study suggests that the analysis of the gut microbiota may provide future predictive markers for the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy or the selection of candidates for fecal transplantation for cancer immunotherapy.</p></sec>