Azithromycin promotes relapse by disrupting immune and metabolic networks after allogeneic stem cell transplantation

Administration of azithromycin after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for hematological malignancies has been associated with relapse in a randomized phase 3 controlled clinical trial. Studying 240 samples from patients randomized in this trial is a unique opportunity to better understand the mechanisms underlying relapse, the first cause of mortality after transplantation. We used multi-omics on patients' samples to decipher immune alterations associated with azithromycin intake and post-transplant relapsed malignancies. Azithromycin was associated with a network of altered energy metabolism pathways and immune subsets, including T cells biased toward immunomodulatory and exhausted profiles. In vitro, azithromycin exposure inhibited T cells cytotoxicity against tumor cells and impaired T cells metabolism through glycolysis inhibition, mitochondrial genes downregulation, and immunomodulatory genes upregulation, notably SOCS1. These results highlight that azithromycin directly affects immune cells that favor relapse, which raises caution about long-term use of azithromycin treatment in patients at high risk of malignancies.