Immunomodulatory Effect of Lentinan on Aberrant T Subsets and Cytokines Profile in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Patients

Authors: Xi-en Wang, You-hui Wang, Qiang Zhou, Min Peng, Jing Zhang, Mi Chen, Li-juan Ma, Guo-ming Xie

Journal: Pathology & Oncology Research

Study Design: Retrospective cohort trial study

Participants: 73 patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

Intervention: The patients were divided into two groups:

• Chemo-immunotherapy group (n = 38): Received NP (vinorelbin and cisplatin) chemotherapy plus lentinan (4 mg/day, intramuscular injection) for 12 weeks
• Single chemotherapy group (n = 35): Received NP chemotherapy only for 12 weeks

Outcome Measures:

• Changes in T lymphocyte subsets (CD3+CD8+, CD3+CD4+, CD3+CD56+, CD4+CD25+ Tregs) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs)
• Changes in cytokine levels (IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-10, TGF-β1, and IL-12) in PBMCs
• Progression-free survival (PFS)
• Objective response rate (ORR)

Summary: The study investigated the immunomodulatory effects of lentinan as an adjuvant to chemotherapy in NSCLC patients. The results showed that lentinan increased the levels of CD3+CD56+ NKT cells, CD3+CD8+ and CD3+CD4+ T cells, and decreased the levels of CD4+CD25+ Tregs. Lentinan also increased the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-12) and decreased the levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10 and TGF-β1). The objective response rate was similar between the two groups, but lentinan-based chemo-immunotherapy showed a trend towards prolonged PFS compared to single chemotherapy. The study concluded that lentinan could enhance cellular immunity and inhibit the expansion of immune-suppressive Tregs in NSCLC patients, suggesting its potential as an adjuvant therapy for NSCLC.