In vivo modulation of the tumor microenvironment: anti-tumor effects of combination therapy of fucoidan and small molecule immune checkpoint inhibitor BMS-202

Cancer immunotherapy has gained significant momentum, particularly in counteracting the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). This study investigates the therapeutic potential of a combination therapy of fucoidan, a marine-derived polysaccharide with anti-cancer and immunomodulatory properties, and BMS-202, a small molecule immune checkpoint inhibitor targeting programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) and its ligand PDL-1, in a murine model of Ehrlich solid-phase carcinoma. Tumor bearing mice received saline (control), BMS-202, fucoidan or their combination (at half the monotherapy doses). Both monotherapies significantly reduced tumor volumes. Histological analysis of excised tumors from the control group revealed large areas of viable tumor cells, whereas the combination therapy induced central tumor necrosis, with abundant pyknotic and fragmented tumor cells. The area percentage of tumor necrosis increased by 6.3-, 4.1- and 1.4-fold in the combination group versus control, fucoidan, and BMS-202, respectively (p < 0.05). Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to assess Ki-67 and cleaved caspase-3, ELISA measured IL-6 and TGF-β while Western blotting evaluated p-ERK1/2, p-Akt, and p-p38 MAPK. The combination therapy significantly increased cleaved caspase-3 by 8.3 folds and reduced Ki-67, IL-6, TGF-β, p-ERK1/2, p-Akt, and p-p38 MAPK levels by 67 %, 98.9 %, 75.8 %, 69 %, 85 %, and 87.5 %, respectively, relative to the control (p < 0.05). Additionally, immune profiling of the tumor tissue using IHC revealed an increased CD8+/FOXP3+ ratio and a reduced CD4+/CD8+ ratio, suggesting an immunomodulatory effect. In conclusion, fucoidan demonstrated the potential to enhance the anti-tumor efficacy of BMS-202 via modulation of the immune TME and downregulating key oncogenic pathways, warranting further investigation into its role in combination with immunotherapy.