Tumor immunotherapy represents a more advanced and effective treatment modality for tumors following targeted therapy. However, the high cost of immune checkpoint inhibitors and the severe immune-related side effects have hindered the widespread application of tumor immunotherapy. In recent years, research on small molecule inhibitors has gained momentum, with notable progress in the exploration of natural small molecule drugs aimed at mitigating tumor immune escape. Investigating potential natural small molecule drugs that interfere with the expression of PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoints may represent a novel avenue in tumor immunotherapy. This study uses a combination of bioinformatics analysis and cellular experiments to demonstrate that the genomic characteristics of nasopharyngeal carcinoma are closely associated with the dysregulation of the immune microenvironment. It has also been demonstrated that PD-L1 expression in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells is reduced by dehydrocurcumin (DMC) through the prevention of the activation of the PI3K/AKT signalling pathway. Furthermore, DMC promotes the polarization of macrophages towards the M1 phenotype while suppressing M2 polarization. This enhances their anti-tumour capabilities. In a mouse model of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, DMC demonstrated a safe and effective capacity to inhibit tumor growth, alleviate liver damage, reduce PD-L1 expression, and enhance CD8+ T cell infiltration and serum IFN-γ levels, thereby comprehensively strengthening the anti-tumor immune response. In conclusion, these findings suggest that DMC can exert anti-nasopharyngeal carcinoma effects by inhibiting the immune escape mechanisms of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and enhancing the tumor immune response.
Li et al. (Wed,) studied this question.