Metabolic pathways regulate cardiovascular toxicity in cancer immunotherapy

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Biology
• Cancer Immunology
• Metabolic Research

Background:

• Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) offer advanced cancer therapy but pose risks of cardiovascular toxicity.
• Tumor immunotherapy can disrupt cardiovascular homeostasis, necessitating research into immune cell metabolic adaptations within the cardiovascular system.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review metabolic remodeling in tumors and its shared roles in cardiac metabolism and immunometabolism.
• To elucidate how ICIs trigger cardiac dysfunction via metabolic signaling pathways.

Main Methods:

• Literature review focusing on tumor-associated metabolic remodeling.
• Analysis of shared roles in cardiac metabolism and immunometabolism.
• Exploration of metabolic signal pathways involved in ICI-induced cardiotoxicity.

Main Results:

• ICIs induce metabolic adaptations in cardiovascular immune cells.
• Metabolic crosstalk between tumor and cardiac environments is significant.
• Specific metabolic pathways are identified as drivers of ICI-induced cardiac dysfunction.

Conclusions:

• Targeting metabolic checkpoints is crucial for mitigating ICI-related cardiotoxicity.
• Integrating technologies like spatial metabolomics can help decouple anti-tumor efficacy from cardiovascular side effects.
• Reprogramming metabolic networks offers a strategy to improve the safety profile of cancer immunotherapies.