The potential of phytomedicines to optimize CAR-T cell therapy in cancer

Immunotherapy has revolutionized oncology therapeutics landscape. Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) immunotherapy, a form of adoptive cell therapy (ACT) designed to target and kill cancer cells, has shown remarkable success in the treatment of hematological cancer. However, its efficacy against solid tumors remains limited. Phytomedicines represent promising adjuvants to overcome current limitations in cancer immunotherapy due their active compounds that can regulate immune cell functions, modulate immune checkpoint pathways, and reshape the tumoral microenvironment (TME). Current research investigating the TME-modulating effects of certain phytomedicines supports their potential integration as immunotherapy adjuvants. This review focuses on phytomedicines with demonstrated anticancer and immunomodulatory properties, some of which are currently being tested in clinical trials for cancer patients. Despite this promise, significant hurdles persist in the development of phytomedicines as reliable adjuvants in cancer immunotherapy. Consequently, rigorous and focused research is essential to validate their efficacy and safety in this context.