Immunometabolic actions of trabectedin and lurbinectedin on human macrophages: Relevance for their antitumor activity

In recent years, it has been recognized the central role of cell bioenergetics in regulating immune cell function and fate giving rise to the interest in immunometabolism, an area of research focused on the interaction between metabolic regulation and immune function. Immunometabolism has been studied in the modulation of macrophage polarization. Thus, early metabolic changes associated with the polarisation of macrophages into pro-inflammatory or pro-resolving cells under different stimuli have been characterized. Tumour-associated macrophages are among the most abundant cells in the tumour microenvironment; however, it exists an unmet need to study the effect of chemotherapeutics on macrophage immunometabolism. Here, a systems biology approach that integrates transcriptomics and metabolomics unveils the immunometabolic effects of trabectedin (TRB) and lurbinectedin (LUR), two intercalating DNA agents with proved antitumor activity in the low nanomolar range. Our results show that TRB and LUR activate human macrophages towards a pro-inflammatory functional phenotype by inducing a specific metabolic rewiring program that includes ROS production and changes in the mitochondrial inner membrane potential, increased pentose phosphate pathway, TCA cycle serine and methylglyoxal pathways in human macrophages. glutamine, aspartate, histidine, and proline consumption are increased whereas 50 nM TRB increases lactate release and oxygen consumption is depressed . The observed immunometabolic rewiring could explain additional antitumor activities of these compounds and open new avenues to design therapeutic interventions that specifically target the immunometabolic landscape in the treatment of cancer. Overall design: mRNA profiles of primary cultures of human monocyte-derived macrophages treated with TRB or LUR 100nM for 6h in RPMI+2%FBS or vehicle (controls RPMI+2%FBS)