Ammonia death: a novel potential strategy to augment immunotherapy in cancer

Abstract

The efficacy of immunotherapy is diminished by the low survival rate of effector CD8 + T cells after they have exerted their antitumor effects. Recent studies indicate that ammonia, generated from glutamine metabolism, accumulates in effector CD8 + T cells and triggers their apoptosis. These findings offer a comprehensive mechanistic understanding of effector T-cell mortality from a metabolic viewpoint, presenting novel opportunities for improving T-cell-mediated anticancer treatments.