An Epic Advancement in Targeting Macrophages for Cancer Therapy Approach

Abstract

Macrophages are immune cells with high heterogeneity and plasticity, crucial for recognizing and eliminating foreign substances, including cancer cells. However, cancer cells can evade the immune system by producing signals that cause macrophages to switch to a pro-tumor phenotype, promoting tumor growth and progression. Tumor-associated macrophages, which infiltrate into tumor tissue, are important immune cells in the tumor microenvironment and can regulate cancer's growth, invasion, and metastasis by inhibiting tumor immunity. This review article highlights the characteristics of tumor-associated macrophages and their role in the occurrence and development of cancer. It outlines how reprogramming macrophages towards an anti-tumor phenotype can improve the response to cancer therapy. Explore the intricate process of engineered nanoparticles serving as carriers for immunostimulatory molecules, activating macrophages to instigate an anti-tumor response. Finally, it summarizes several studies demonstrating targeting macrophages is a potential in preclinical cancer models. Several challenges must be addressed in developing effective macrophage-targeted therapies, such as the heterogeneity of macrophage subtypes and their plasticity. Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms underlying macrophage function in the tumor microenvironment and identify novel targets for macrophage-directed therapies. Targeting macrophages is a promising and innovative approach to improving cancer therapy and patient outcomes.

Keywords: Tumor-associated macrophages; immunotherapy; innate and adaptive immunity; nanomedicine.; tumor microenvironment; tumor-associated antigens.