Editorial
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Oncol. May 15, 2024; 16(5): 1676-1682
Published online May 15, 2024. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v16.i5.1676
Interleukin-1β: Friend or foe for gastrointestinal cancers
Kullanat Khawkhiaw, Jutatip Panaampon, Thanit Imemkamon, Charupong Saengboonmee
Kullanat Khawkhiaw, Charupong Saengboonmee, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand
Kullanat Khawkhiaw, Charupong Saengboonmee, Center for Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand
Kullanat Khawkhiaw, Charupong Saengboonmee, Cholangiocarcinoma Research Institute, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand
Jutatip Panaampon, Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, United States
Jutatip Panaampon, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, United States
Jutatip Panaampon, Division of Hematopoiesis, Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 860-0811, Japan
Thanit Imemkamon, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen Univsersity, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand
Author contributions: Khawkhiaw K and Saengboonmee C conceptualized, reviewed, outlined, and wrote the first draft of the manuscript; Panaampon J discussed, edited the manuscript, and created the figure; Imemkamon T discussed and approved the clinical-related context of the manuscript. All authors reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Supported by National Research Council of Thailand, No. N41A640108; Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Special Fund; The Development and Promotion of Science and Technology Talents Project; and Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, and Culture of Japan, No. 22K16327 and No. 22K08482.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Dr. Saengboonmee reports grants from National Research Council of Thailand, grants from Mekong-Lancang Special Fund, during the conduct of the study.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Charupong Saengboonmee, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Doctor, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, 123 Mittraphap Highway, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand. charusa@kku.ac.th
Received: December 27, 2023
Peer-review started: December 27, 2023
First decision: February 5, 2024
Revised: February 17, 2024
Accepted: March 19, 2024
Article in press: March 19, 2024
Published online: May 15, 2024
Processing time: 133 Days and 20.6 Hours
Abstract

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancer is a malignancy arising in the digestive system and accounts for approximately a third of increasing global cancer-related mortality, especially in the colorectum, esophagus, stomach, and liver. Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is a leukocytic pyrogen recognized as a tumor progression-related cytokine. IL-1β secretion and maturation in inflammatory responses could be regulated by nuclear factor-kappaB-dependent expression of NLR family pyrin domain containing 3, inflammasome formation, and activation of IL-1 converting enzyme. Several studies have documented the pro-tumorigenic effects of IL-1β in tumor microenvironments, promoting proliferation and metastatic potential of cancer cells in vitro and tumorigenesis in vivo. The application of IL-1β inhibitors is also promising for targeted therapy development in some cancer types. However, as a leukocytic pro-inflammatory cytokine, IL-1β may also possess anti-tumorigenic effects and be type-specific in different cancers. This editorial discusses the up-to-date roles of IL-1β in GI cancers, including underlying mechanisms and downstream signaling pathways. Understanding and clarifying the roles of IL-1β would significantly benefit future therapeutic targeting and help improve therapeutic outcomes in patients suffering from GI cancer.

Keywords: Cancer; Gastrointestinal tract; Inflammation; Interleukin-1β; Tumor microenvironment

Core Tip: Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine primarily secreted by leukocytes to activate the immune response at the site of infection or inflammation. As tumor-promoting inflammation is one of the cancer hallmarks, IL-1β then plays central roles in tumor-promoting activities in many cancers, including cancers of the gastrointestinal tract. On the other hand, by activating and recruiting immune cells into the tumor microenvironments, IL-1β also has anti-tumor effects depending on the subtypes of immune cells that respond and infiltrate into the tumor site. Whether it could be a promising target for future therapeutic development is then discussed in this article.