The effect of combining Endostar with radiotherapy on blood vessels, tumor-associated macrophages, and T cells in brain metastases of Lewis lung cancer
Ling Peng, Ying Wang, Shihong Fei, Chunhua Wei, Fan Tong, Gang Wu, Hong Ma, Xiaorong Dong
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Combining Endostar (ES) with radiotherapy (RT) has shown a promising therapeutic effect on non-small cell lung carcinoma with brain metastases (BMs) in clinical practice. However, the specific mechanism is not yet fully understood. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of ES on blood vessels, tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), and T cells in a tumor microenvironment treated with RT. METHODS: T cells in tumor tissues were determined by flow cytometry and immunofluorescence. The expressions of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) and CXCR4 were deduced using western blotting and immunohistochemistry (IHC). RESULTS: ) was increased while HIF-1α was significantly suppressed in the ES + RT group. CXCR4 expression, which is involved in TAM recruitment, increased following RT, whereas, ES attenuated its expression. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that ES can promote the normalization of tumor blood vessels and increase the anti-tumor immune-related immune cells infiltrating the tumor following RT treatment.