Platinum-based chemotherapy: gastrointestinal immunomodulation and enteric nervous system toxicity

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Immunology
• Gastroenterology

Background:

• Colorectal cancer chemotherapy often causes severe, persistent gastrointestinal (GI) side effects like nausea, vomiting, constipation, and diarrhea.
• Conventional chemotherapeutics are typically immunosuppressive, complicating treatment efficacy and patient recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the immunomodulatory effects of platinum-based anticancer drugs.
• To explore the impact of these drugs on gastrointestinal innervation and gut dysfunction.
• To propose novel therapeutic strategies targeting long-term GI side effects.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of platinum-based chemotherapeutics.
• Analysis of immunomodulatory mechanisms.
• Examination of the interplay between the enteric nervous system and the gut immune system.

Main Results:

• Platinum-based drugs exhibit immunomodulatory properties, contrasting with conventional immunosuppressive agents.
• Platinum-induced immunogenicity influences gastrointestinal innervation.
• Bidirectional communication between the GI immune system and enteric nervous system is affected.

Conclusions:

• Understanding platinum-induced immunogenicity is crucial for addressing chemotherapy-induced gut dysfunction.
• Future colorectal cancer therapeutics should target mechanisms causing long-term GI side effects.
• Platinum-based drugs represent a potential avenue for developing treatments with reduced GI toxicity.