Calf Thymus Polypeptide Restrains the Growth of Colorectal Tumor Regulating the Intestinal Microbiota-Mediated Immune Function.

Journal: Frontiers in pharmacology
Published Date:

Abstract

Calf thymus polypeptide (CTP), with a molecular mass of <10 kDa, is prepared from the thymus of less than 30-day-old newborn cattle. In the present study, the inhibitory function of CTP in colorectal cancer (CRC) was investigated in B6/JGpt- /Gpt ( ) mice. CTP hampered tumor development and enhanced the ratio of CD3eNK1.1 cells by 113.0% and CD3eCD28 cells by 84.7% in the peripheral blood of mice. CTP improved the richness, diversity, and evenness of the intestinal microbiota of mice, particularly by regulating the abundance of immune-related microorganisms. CTP effectively regulated the expression of immune-related cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-2 (15.19% increment), IL-12 (17.47% increment), and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β (11.19% reduction). Additionally, it enhanced the levels of CD4 and CD8, as well as the ratio of helper T lymphocytes (Th)1/Th2 in the spleen and tumors of mice. In CTP-treated mice, reduced levels of programmed death-1 (PD-1), programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA4), activated nuclear factor of activated T cells 1 (NFAT1), and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) p65 signaling were noted. Collectively, the anti-CRC effect of CTP is related to the modulation of intestinal microbiota-mediated immune function, which provides a reference for CTP as a therapeutic drug or a combination drug used in CRC treatment in a clinical setting.

Authors

  • Lanzhou Li
    Engineering Research Center of Chinese Ministry of Education for Edible and Medicinal Fungi, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China.
  • Chenfei Zhao
    Engineering Research Center of Chinese Ministry of Education for Edible and Medicinal Fungi, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China.
  • Fange Kong
    Engineering Research Center of Chinese Ministry of Education for Edible and Medicinal Fungi, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China.
  • Yi-Cong Li
    Engineering Research Center of Chinese Ministry of Education for Edible and Medicinal Fungi, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China.
  • Chunxia Wang
    Engineering Research Center of Chinese Ministry of Education for Edible and Medicinal Fungi, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China.
  • Shanshan Chen
    School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China.
  • Hor-Yue Tan
    Centre for Chinese Herbal Medicine Drug Development, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China.
  • Yang Liu
    Department of Computer Science, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China.
  • Di Wang
    Center for Endocrine Metabolism and Immune Diseases, Beijing Luhe Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, People's Republic of China.

Keywords

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