Interleukin 10 in the tumor microenvironment: a target for anticancer immunotherapy

• Published in: Immunologic research Vol. 51; no. 2-3; pp. 170 - 182
• Main Authors: Sato, Takami, Terai, Mizue, Tamura, Yutaka, Alexeev, Vitali, Mastrangelo, Michael J., Selvan, Senthamil R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Humana Press Inc 01.12.2011; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Allergology; Animals; Antigen-presenting cells; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cancer; Current Immunology Research at Jefferson; Cytokines; Humans; Immunology; Immunosuppression; Immunotherapy; Immunotherapy - methods; Interleukin-10 - antagonists & inhibitors; Interleukin-10 - immunology; Internal Medicine; Medicine/Public Health; Metastasis; Molecular Targeted Therapy; Neoplasms - drug therapy; Neoplasms - immunology; Neoplasms - therapy; T-Lymphocyte Subsets - immunology; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory - immunology; Tumor Microenvironment; Tumors; Vaccines; Inflammation; Tumor microenvironment; IL-10; Therapeutic target; IL-6; STAT3
• ISSN: 0257-277X; 1559-0755
• DOI: 10.1007/s12026-011-8262-6

IL-10 is an immunomodulatory cytokine that is frequently upregulated in various types of cancer. The biological role of IL-10 in cancer is quite complex; however, the presence of IL-10 in advanced metastases and the positive correlation between serum IL-10 levels and progression of disease indicates a critical role of IL-10 in the tumor microenvironment. IL-10 has been shown to directly affect the function of antigen-presenting cells by inhibiting the expression of MHC and costimulatory molecules, which in turn induces immune suppression or tolerance. Additionally, IL-10 downregulates the expression of Th1 cytokines and induces T-regulatory responses. Taken together, a combination of IL-10 antagonism and immunostimulatory treatments such as cancer vaccines, Toll-like receptor agonists, Th1 cytokines, and chemokines would be a logical approach to enhance an antitumor immune response.