Modulating glioma-mediated myeloid-derived suppressor cell development with sulforaphane

PLoS One. 2017 Jun 30;12(6):e0179012. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0179012. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

Glioblastoma is the most common primary tumor of the brain and has few long-term survivors. The local and systemic immunosuppressive environment created by glioblastoma allows it to evade immunosurveillance. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a critical component of this immunosuppression. Understanding mechanisms of MDSC formation and function are key to developing effective immunotherapies. In this study, we developed a novel model to reliably generate human MDSCs from healthy-donor CD14+ monocytes by culture in human glioma-conditioned media. Monocytic MDSC frequency was assessed by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. The resulting MDSCs robustly inhibited T cell proliferation. A cytokine array identified multiple components of the GCM potentially contributing to MDSC generation, including Monocyte Chemoattractive Protein-1, interleukin-6, interleukin-8, and Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF). Of these, Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor is a particularly attractive therapeutic target as sulforaphane, a naturally occurring MIF inhibitor derived from broccoli sprouts, has excellent oral bioavailability. Sulforaphane inhibits the transformation of normal monocytes to MDSCs by glioma-conditioned media in vitro at pharmacologically relevant concentrations that are non-toxic to normal leukocytes. This is associated with a corresponding increase in mature dendritic cells. Interestingly, sulforaphane treatment had similar pro-inflammatory effects on normal monocytes in fresh media but specifically increased immature dendritic cells. Thus, we have used a simple in vitro model system to identify a novel contributor to glioblastoma immunosuppression for which a natural inhibitor exists that increases mature dendritic cell development at the expense of myeloid-derived suppressor cells when normal monocytes are exposed to glioma conditioned media.

MeSH terms

  • Brain Neoplasms / immunology
  • Brain Neoplasms / pathology*
  • CD11b Antigen / immunology
  • Cell Hypoxia
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Culture Media, Conditioned
  • Fucosyltransferases / immunology
  • Glioblastoma / immunology
  • Glioblastoma / pathology*
  • Humans
  • Isothiocyanates / pharmacology*
  • Lewis X Antigen / immunology
  • Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells / drug effects*
  • Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells / immunology
  • Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells / pathology
  • Sulfoxides

Substances

  • CD11b Antigen
  • Culture Media, Conditioned
  • ITGAM protein, human
  • Isothiocyanates
  • Lewis X Antigen
  • Sulfoxides
  • FUT4 protein, human
  • Fucosyltransferases
  • sulforaphane