ArticleCancer cell international2025
Unveiling the power of plumbagin: revitalizing exhausted T cells to combat tongue cancer.
Article in Cancer cell international, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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Abstract
backgroundTongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC), the most common form of oral cancer, has a poor prognosis associated with immune escape due to T cell exhaustion within the tumor microenvironment (TME). Numerous studies have demonstrated the anticancer properties of plumbagin; however, the correlation between plumbagin and TME-immune escape is unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the immunomodulatory effects of plumbagin in TSCC to facilitate the development of neoadjuvant immunotherapy strategies.
methodsWe stimulated T cells with an antigen to induce a decrease in their cytotoxic function, an increase in programmed cell death-1(PD-1) expression, and exhaustion. Subsequently, plumbagin was utilized to target exhausted T cells, and its effect was evaluated using flow cytometry of apoptosis and PD-1 expression. Furthermore, a quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction measured the expression of immunoenhancing cytokines (Granzyme B, IFN-γ) and immunosuppressive cytokines (IL-10 and TGF-β). In vivo, plumbagin-treated homograft tongue cancer mouse and in situ tongue cancer model showed alterations in T cells, PD-1 expression and cytokines using flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry.
resultsWe found that plumbagin enhances the viability of exhausted T cells in vitro, enhancing apoptosis and decreasing PD-1 expression. In vivo, plumbagin inhibits TSCC growth, increases CD8
conclusionsPlumbagin restores exhausted T cells'viability via multiple PD-L1/PD-1 axis, inhibiting TSCC immune escape and providing a theoretical foundation for immune microenvironment regulation.
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