Lentinan enhances CAR-T cell potency in solid tumors by optimizing T cell differentiation

CAR-T cell therapy has demonstrated remarkable success in treating hematologic malignancies; however, its efficacy in solid tumors remains constrained. In this study, we demonstrate that Lentinan (LTN), an active polysaccharide derived from Lentinula edodes, potently enhances CAR-T cell function against solid tumors. In vitro, LTN significantly augments CAR-T cell cytotoxicity and pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion (IL-2, IFN-γ). Mechanistically, LTN drives CAR-T cell differentiation into a memory phenotype, characterized by increased frequencies of CD44⁺CD62L⁺ central memory cells and enrichment of CD44⁺CD62L⁺TCF1⁺ stem-like memory cells, while concomitantly mitigating exhaustion, as evidenced by reduced surface expression of the checkpoint receptor TIM-3 and the exhaustion-associated marker CD317. These phenotypic and functional improvements correlate with LTN-mediated transcriptional upregulation of memory-associated factors Tcf7 (encoding TCF1) and Foxo1. In vivo, the combination of LTN and CAR-T significantly enhances tumor control in syngeneic murine models of colon carcinoma and melanoma. This superior efficacy stems from enhanced CAR-T cell persistence, sustained intratumoral effector function, and reprogramming of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) toward an immunostimulatory M1-like phenotype. This work establishes LTN as a clinically actionable immunomodulator that synergizes with CAR-T cells by intrinsically enhancing their fitness and persistence while extrinsically remodeling the suppressive tumor microenvironment. It provides a novel, translatable strategy to potentiate CAR-T therapy against solid tumors.