Glycyrrhiza polysaccharides may have an antitumor effect in γδT cells through gut microbiota and TLRs/NF-κB pathway in mice.

Abstract

Tumor immunotherapy can be a suitable cancer treatment option in certain instances. Here we investigated the potential immunomodulatory effect of oral glycyrrhiza polysaccharides (GCP) on the antitumor function of γδTcells in intestinal epithelial cells in mice. We found that GCP can inhibit tumor growth and was involved in the regulation of systemic immunosuppression. GCP administration also promoted the differentiation of gut epithelia γδTcells into IFN-γ-producing subtype through regulation of local cytokines in gut mucosa. GCP administration increased local cytokine levels through gut microbiota and the gut mucosa Toll-like receptors / nuclear factor kappa-B pathway. Taken together, our results suggest that GCP might be a suitable candidate for tumor immunotherapy, although further clinical research, including clinical trials, are required to validate these results.