Metabolic reprogramming of tumor-associated macrophages via adenosine-A2AR signaling drives cross-resistance in non-small cell lung cancer

Abstract

Immunosuppression within the tumor microenvironment (TME) is frequently associated with chemoresistance. However, the mechanisms by which chemoresistance promotes immune evasion and impairs subsequent immunotherapy remain poorly understood, underscoring the urgent need for novel therapeutic strategies to counteract these effects. In this study, we observed that tumors exhibit cross-resistance to immunotherapy following chemoresistance in a non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) mouse model. The aberrant accumulation of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and extracellular adenosine (Ado) were identified as mediators of immunosuppression, fostering cross-resistance to immunotherapy in the context of chemoresistance. Mechanistically, selective activation of the Ado/A_2AR signaling pathway induced metabolic reprogramming of TAMs, thereby creating an immunosuppressive niche in cross-resistant NSCLC. Based on these findings, we designed a novel selective A_2AR inhibitor DL082 and explored its therapeutic potential for treating cross-resistant NSCLC. The combination of DL082 with an anti-PD-L1 antibody significantly enhanced immune activation and inhibited tumor progression in cross-resistant NSCLC. These findings elucidate the specific mechanisms underlying cross-resistance between chemotherapy and immunotherapy in NSCLC and propose targeting the Ado-TAM axis as a potential strategy for overcoming resistance in NSCLC therapy.

Keywords: Adenosine; Cross-resistance; Immunotherapy; NSCLC; TAM.