ArticleOncoimmunology
The natural product chitosan enhances the anti-tumor activity of natural killer cells by activating dendritic cells.
Article in Oncoimmunology. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
29 citing papers in PubMed, 65 citations in OpenAlex.
- Harnessing chitosan-based biomaterials for advanced cancer immunotherapy: from nanocarriers to tumor microenvironment modulation.Journal of nanobiotechnology · 2026Review
- Chitosan nanoparticles for mucosal and needle-free vaccination.NPJ vaccines · 2026Review
- The Effect of Heparin-Grafted Chitosan-Cellulose Composite Microspheres on the Removal of Endotoxins and Circulating Histones in a Septic Rabbit Model: An In Vivo Study.Biomedicines · 2026Article
- Modification of Chitosan with (-)-Gossypol and (-)-Gossypol Acetic Acid Using Free-Radical Grafting Method.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Chitosan-based formulations for therapeutic applications. A recent overview.Journal of biomedical science · 2025Review
- Research Progress of Natural Compounds from Chinese Herbal Medicine in the Treatment of Melanoma.Current treatment options in oncology · 2025Review
- Marine-Derived Compounds Combined with Nanoparticles: A Focus on the Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sector.Marine drugs · 2025Review
- 4(3International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Chitosan activates NLRP3 inflammasome and cGAS-STING to suppress cancer progression through hexokinase 2 dissociation and mitochondrial dysfunction.Theranostics · 2025Article
- Advances in Chitosan-based Drug Delivery Systems in Melanoma: A Narrative Review.Current medicinal chemistry · 2024Review
- Trial watch: anticancer vaccination with dendritic cells.Oncoimmunology · 2024Review
- SMAD4 enhances the cytotoxic efficacy of human NK cells against colorectal cancer cells via the mFrontiers in immunology · 2024Article
- Biopolymer-Based Nanomedicine for Cancer Therapy: Opportunities and Challenges.International journal of nanomedicine · 2024Review
- Use of Chitosan as a Precursor for Multiple Applications in Medicinal Chemistry: Recent Significant Contributions.Mini reviews in medicinal chemistry · 2024Review
- Amelioration of Cancer Employing Chitosan, Its Derivatives, and Chitosan-Based Nanoparticles: Recent Updates.Polymers · 2023Review
- Impact of local drug delivery and natural agents as new target strategies against periodontitis: new challenges for personalized therapeutic approach.Therapeutic advances in chronic disease · 2023Review
- Chitooligosaccharides Improve the Efficacy of Checkpoint Inhibitors in a Mouse Model of Lung Cancer.Pharmaceutics · 2022Article
- Targeting the RNA mMolecular cancer · 2022Review
- Plant-derived natural products for drug discovery: current approaches and prospects.The Nucleus : an international journal of cytology and allied topics · 2022Review
- miR-582 Suppresses the Proliferation of B-Cell Precursor Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (BCP-ALL) Cells and Protects Them From Natural Killer Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity.Frontiers in immunology · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Natural products comprise an important class of biologically active molecules. Many of these compounds derived from natural sources exhibit specific physiologic or biochemical effects. An example of a natural product is chitosan, which is enriched in the shells of certain seafood that are frequently consumed worldwide. Like other natural products, chitosan has the potential for applications in clinical medicine and perhaps in cancer therapy. Toward this end, the immunomodulatory or anti-cancer properties of chitosan have yet to be reported. In this study, we discovered that chitosan enhanced the anti-tumor activity of natural killer (NK) cells by activating dendritic cells (DCs). In the presence of DCs, chitosan augmented IFN-γ production by human NK cells. Mechanistically, chitosan activated DCs to express pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-12 and IL-15, which in turn activated the STAT4 and NF-κB signaling pathways, respectively, in NK cells. Moreover, chitosan promoted NK cell survival, and also enhanced NK cell cytotoxicity against leukemia cells. Finally, a related
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.