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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Pharmacology of Anti-Cancer Drugs
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1369563
This article is part of the Research Topic Metals in Cancer: from Intracellular Signaling to Therapy View all 3 articles

Schisandrin C enhances type I IFN response activation to reduce tumor growth and sensitize chemotherapy through antitumor immunity

Provisionally accepted
Huijie Yang Huijie Yang 1Xiaoyan Zhan Xiaoyan Zhan 2Jia Zhao Jia Zhao 2Wei Shi Wei Shi 2Tingting Liu Tingting Liu 2Ziying Wei Ziying Wei 2Hui Li Hui Li 2Xiaorong Hou Xiaorong Hou 2Wenqing Mu Wenqing Mu 2Yuanyuan Chen Yuanyuan Chen 2Congyang Zheng Congyang Zheng 2Zhongxia Wang Zhongxia Wang 2Shengli Wei Shengli Wei 1*Xiaohe Xiao Xiaohe Xiao 2*Zhaofang Bai Zhaofang Bai 2*
  • 1 Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
  • 2 Fifth Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    With the advancing comprehension of immunology, an increasing number of immunotherapies are being explored and implemented in the field of cancer treatment. The cGAS-STING pathway, a crucial element of the innate immune response, has been identified as pivotal in cancer immunotherapy. We evaluated the antitumor effects of Schisandra chinensis lignan component Schisandrin C (SC) in 4T1 and MC38 tumor-bearing mice, and studied the enhancing effects of SC on the cGAS-STING pathway and antitumor immunity through RNA sequencing, qPCR, and flow cytometry. Our findings revealed that SC significantly inhibited tumor growth in models of both breast and colon cancer. This suppression of tumor growth was attributed to the activation of type I IFN response and the augmented presence of T cells and NK cells within the tumor. Additionally, SC markedly promoted the cGAS-STING pathway activation induced by cisplatin. In comparison to cisplatin monotherapy, the combined treatment of SC and cisplatin exhibited a greater inhibitory effect on tumor growth. The amplified chemotherapeutic efficacy was associated with an enhanced type I IFN response and strengthened antitumor immunity. SC was shown to reduce tumor growth and increase chemotherapy sensitivity by enhancing the type I IFN response activation and boosting antitumor immunity, which enriched the research into the antitumor immunity of Schisandra chinensis and laid a theoretical basis for its application in combating breast and colon cancer.

    Keywords: Schisandrin C, cGAS-STING pathway, antitumor immunity, type I interferon, CD8 + T cell, NK cell

    Received: 12 Jan 2024; Accepted: 29 Apr 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Yang, Zhan, Zhao, Shi, Liu, Wei, Li, Hou, Mu, Chen, Zheng, Wang, Wei, Xiao and Bai. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Shengli Wei, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100029, Beijing Municipality, China
    Xiaohe Xiao, Fifth Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100049, Beijing Municipality, China
    Zhaofang Bai, Fifth Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100049, Beijing Municipality, China

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