Cancer Cell Research (Online ISSN: 2161-2609)

Cancer Cell Research 2024 11(41) 926-932; published online  30 April 2024

Abstract: The mechanism of tumor formation is extremely complex. Traditional radiotherapy and chemotherapy for tumors have caused irreversible damage to normal tissues and cells when they kill cancer cells in a large area. Therefore, with the research on tumors and tumor microenvironment (TME), immunotherapy and targeted therapy have become the current research hotspots and the future development direction. Immunotherapy for tumors is a treatment strategy that relies on the function of the body's immune system to specifically kill tumor cells or inhibit tumor growth mechanisms. Numerous studies and clinical trials have confirmed the feasibility and effectiveness of this approach, which can alleviate the suffering of cancer patients compared to chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The current clinical treatment of tumors often combines a variety of tumor immunotherapies to form a unified and orderly mechanism to inhibit tumor growth, thereby destroying the hallmark of the tumor to avoid immune destruction.

Cancer Cell Research 2024 11(41) 933-942; published online  17 May 2024

Abstract: There is an urgent need to explore valuable therapeutic targets of gastric cancer. Here, we evaluated the expression of lysyl oxidase-like 1 (LOXL1) in gastric cancer and its prognostic value by bioinformatics approaches. Then, we analyzed the correlation of LOXL1 and its related genes with immune cell infiltration. The potential therapeutic targets of LOXL1 in gastric cancer and corresponding Chinese medicines were also explored. The results showed that LOXL1 was over-expressed in gastric cancer tissues as compared with paracancerous tissues, and patients with higher LOXL1 expression had poorer prognosis. The expression of LOXL1 was positively correlated with the infiltration of immune cells, among which the correlation between LOXL1 and macrophages was the most significant, and the expression of LOXL1 related genes was also correlated with the infiltration of immune cells. The traditional Chinese medicine orange leaves, orange kernel, green peel, tangerine peel and turmeric were found potentially to act on LOXL1 by network pharmacology analysis. Therefore, LOXL1 is a potential therapeutic target for gastric cancer. Some traditional Chinese medicine may inhibit the progression of gastric cancer by regulating LOXL1.