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Background: Ovarian adenocarcinoma (OVAD) frequently metastasizes to the peritoneal cavity and manifests by the formation of ascites, which constitutes a tumor-promoting microenvironment. In the peritoneal cavity, two developmentally, phenotypically and functionally distinct macrophage subsets, immunocompetent large peritoneal macrophages (LPM) and immunosuppressive small peritoneal macrophages (SPM), coexist. Because peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) is a critical factor participating in macrophage differentiation and cooperates with CCAAT/enhancer binding protein β (C/EBPβ), a transcription factor essential for SPM-to-LPM differentiation, PPARγ could be also involved in the regulation of SPM/LPM balance and could be a promising therapeutic target., Methods: To evaluate the 15(S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (HETE), a PPARγ endogenous ligand, impact on ovarian tumor growth, we intraperitoneally injected 15(S)-HETE into a murine ovarian cancer model. This experimental model consists in the intraperitoneally injection of ID8 cells expressing luciferase into syngeneic C57BL/6 female mice. This ID8 orthotopic mouse model is a well-established experimental model of end-stage epithelial OVAD. Tumor progression was monitored using an in vivo imaging system. Peritoneal immune cells in ascites were analyzed by flow cytometry and cell sorting. To determine whether the impact of 15(S)-HETE in tumor development is mediated through the macrophages, these cells were depleted by injection of liposomal clodronate. To further dissect how 15(S)-HETE mediated its antitumor effect, we assessed the tumor burden in tumor-bearing mice in which the PPARγ gene was selectively disrupted in myeloid-derived cells and in mice deficient of the recombination-activating gene Rag2 . Finally, to validate our data in humans, we isolated and treated macrophages from ascites of individuals with OVAD., Results: Here we show, in the murine experimental model of OVAD, that 15(S)-HETE treatment significantly suppresses the tumor growth, which is associated with the differentiation of SPM into LPM and the LPM residency in the peritoneal cavity. We demonstrate that C/EBPβ and GATA6 play a central role in SPM-to-LPM differentiation and in LPM peritoneal residence through PPARγ activation during OVAD. Moreover, this SPM-to-LPM switch is associated with the increase of the effector/regulatory T-cell ratio. Finally, we report that 15(S)-HETE attenuates immunosuppressive properties of human ovarian tumor-associated macrophages from ascites., Conclusion: Altogether, these results promote PPARγ as a potential therapeutic target to restrain OVAD development and strengthen the use of PPARγ agonists in anticancer therapy., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are key players in the innate immune system. Recent studies have suggested that they may affect the growth of pancreatic cancer, a disease with no cure. Among them, TLR7 shows promise for therapy but may also promotes tumor growth. Thus, we aimed to clarify the therapeutic potential of TLR7 ligands in experimental pancreatic cancer models, to open the door for clinical applications. In vitro, we found that TLR7 ligands strongly inhibit the proliferation of both human and murine pancreatic cancer cells, compared with TLR2 agonists. Hence, TLR7 treatment alters cancer cells' cell cycle and induces cell death by apoptosis. In vivo, TLR7 agonist therapy significantly delays the growth of murine pancreatic tumors engrafted in immunodeficient mice. Remarkably, TLR7 ligands administration instead increases tumor growth and accelerates animal death when tumors are engrafted in immunocompetent models. Further investigations revealed that TLR7 agonists modulate the intratumoral content and phenotype of macrophages and that depleting such tumor-associated macrophages strongly hampers TLR7 agonist-induced tumor growth. Collectively, our findings shine a light on the duality of action of TLR7 agonists in experimental cancer models and call into question their use for pancreatic cancer therapy., (Copyright © 2022 The American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Besides the interest of an early detection of ovarian cancer, there is an urgent need for new predictive and prognostic biomarkers of tumor development and cancer treatment. In healthy patients, circulating blood monocytes are typically subdivided into classical (85%), intermediate (5%) and non-classical (10%) populations. Although these circulating monocyte subsets have been suggested as biomarkers in several diseases, few studies have investigate their potential as a predictive signature for tumor immune status,tumor growth and treatment adaptation., Methods: In this study, we used a homogeneous cohort of 28 chemotherapy-naïve patients with ovarian cancer to evaluate monocyte subsets as biomarkers of the ascites immunological status. We evaluated the correlations between circulating monocyte subsets and immune cells and tumor burden in peritoneal ascites. Moreover, to validate the use of circulating monocyte subsets tofollow tumor progression and treatment response, we characterized blood monocytes from ovarian cancer patients included in a phase 1 clinical trial at baseline and following murlentamab treatment., Results: We demonstrate here a robust expansion of the intermediate blood monocytes (IBMs) in ovarian cancer patients. We establish a significant positive correlation between IBM percentage and tumor-associate macrophages with a CCR2 high /CD163 high /CD206 high /CD86 low profile. Moreover, IBM expansion is associated with a decreased effector/regulatory T-cell ratio in ascites and with the presence of soluble immunosuppressive mediators. We also establish that IBM proportion positively correlates with the peritoneum tumor burden. Finally, the study of IBMs in patients with ovarian cancer under immunotherapy during the phase clinical trial supports IBMs to follow the evolution of tumor development and the treatment adaptation., Conclusions: This study, which links IBM level with immunosuppression and tumor burden in peritoneum, identifies IBMs as apotential predictive signature of ascites immune status and as a biomarker ofovarian cancer development and treatment response., Trial Registration Number: EudraCT: 2015-004252-22 NCT02978755., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Colonic macrophages are considered to be major effectors of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) and the control of gut inflammation through C-type lectin receptors is an emerging concept. We show that during colitis, the loss of dectin-1 on myeloid cells prevents intestinal inflammation, while the lack of mannose receptor (MR) exacerbates it. A marked increase in dectin-1 expression in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-exposed MR-deficient mice supports the critical contribution of dectin-1 to colitis outcome. Dectin-1 is crucial for Ly6C high CCR2 high monocyte population enrichment in the blood and their recruitment to inflamed colon as precursors of inflammatory macrophages. Dectin-1 also promotes inflammasome-dependent interleukin-1β (IL-1β) secretion through leukotriene B4 production. Interestingly, colonic inflammation is associated with a concomitant overexpression of dectin-1/CCL2/LTA4H and downregulation of MR on macrophages from IBD patients. Thus, MR and dectin-1 on macrophages are important mucosal inflammatory regulators that contribute to the intestinal inflammation., Competing Interests: Declaration of Interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)