Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2024 Mar 12;22(1):177.
doi: 10.1186/s12964-024-01544-7.

Research progress of the chemokine/chemokine receptor axes in the oncobiology of multiple myeloma (MM)

Jun Du #  1 , Zheng Lin #  2 , Xue-Hang Fu  1 , Xiao-Ran Gu  2 , Guang Lu  3 , Jian Hou  4
Affiliations
Review

Research progress of the chemokine/chemokine receptor axes in the oncobiology of multiple myeloma (MM)

Jun Du et al. Cell Commun Signal. .

Abstract

Background: The incidence of multiple myeloma (MM), a type of blood cancer affecting monoclonal plasma cells, is rising. Although new drugs and therapies have improved patient outcomes, MM remains incurable. Recent studies have highlighted the crucial role of the chemokine network in MM's pathological mechanism. Gaining a better understanding of this network and creating an overview of chemokines in MM could aid in identifying potential biomarkers and developing new therapeutic strategies and targets.

Purpose: To summarize the complicated role of chemokines in MM, discuss their potential as biomarkers, and introduce several treatments based on chemokines.

Methods: Pubmed, Web of Science, ICTRP, and Clinical Trials were searched for articles and research related to chemokines. Publications published within the last 5 years are selected.

Results: Malignant cells can utilize chemokines, including CCL2, CCL3, CCL5, CXCL7, CXCL8, CXCL12, and CXCL13 to evade apoptosis triggered by immune cells or medication, escape from bone marrow and escalate bone lesions. Other chemokines, including CXCL4, CCL19, and CXCL10, may aid in recruiting immune cells, increasing their cytotoxicity against cancer cells, and inducing apoptosis of malignant cells.

Conclusion: Utilizing anti-tumor chemokines or blocking pro-tumor chemokines may provide new therapeutic strategies for managing MM. Inspired by developed CXCR4 antagonists, including plerixafor, ulocuplumab, and motixafortide, more small molecular antagonists or antibodies for pro-tumor chemokine ligands and their receptors can be developed and used in clinical practice. Along with inhibiting pro-tumor chemokines, studies suggest combining chemokines with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T therapy is promising and efficient.

Keywords: CAR-T cell therapy; Chemokines; Multiple Myeloma (MM).

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The chemokine network in multiple myeloma
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The function and mechanism of chemokines in multiple myeloma
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Target inhibitors, antagonists, or antibodies in multiple myeloma
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. van de Donk NWCJ, Pawlyn C, Yong KL. Multiple myeloma. Lancet. 2021;397(10272):410–427. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00135-5. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Huang J, et al. The epidemiological landscape of multiple myeloma: a global cancer registry estimate of disease burden, risk factors, and temporal trends. Lancet Haematol. 2022;9(9):e670–e677. doi: 10.1016/S2352-3026(22)00165-X. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Blimark CH, et al. Outcome and survival of myeloma patients diagnosed 2008–2015. Real-world data on 4904 patients from the Swedish Myeloma Registry. Haematologica. 2018;103(3):506–513. doi: 10.3324/haematol.2017.178103. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Libby E, et al. Disease-specific survival for patients with multiple myeloma: significant improvements over time in all age groups. Leuk Lymphoma. 2014;55(12):2850–2857. doi: 10.3109/10428194.2014.897700. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Griffith JW, Sokol CL, Luster AD. Chemokines and chemokine receptors: positioning cells for host defense and immunity. Annu Rev Immunol. 2014;32:659–702. doi: 10.1146/annurev-immunol-032713-120145. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types