Methionine enkephalin inhibits colorectal cancer by remodeling the immune status of the tumor microenvironment

There is evidence that methionine enkephalin (MENK), an opioid peptide, promotes anti-tumor immune responses. In this study, the effect of MENK on colorectal cancer (CRC) and its mechanisms of action were examined in vivo. The intraperitoneal administration of 20 mg/kg MENK effectively inhibited MC38 subcutaneous colorectal tumor growth in mice. MENK inhibited tumor progression by increasing the immunogenicity and recognition of MC38 cells. MENK down-regulated the oncogene Kras and anti-apoptotic Bclxl and Bcl2, suppressed Il1b, Il6, iNOS, and Arg1 (encoding inflammatory cytokines), and increased Il17a and Il10 levels. MENK promoted a tumor suppressive state by decreasing the immune checkpoints Pd-1, Pd-l1, Lag3, Flgl1, and 2b4 in CRC. MENK also altered the immune status of the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME). It increased the infiltration of M1-type macrophages, CD8+T cells, and CD4+T cells and decreased the proportions of G-MDSCs, M-MDSCs, and M2-type macrophages. MENK accelerated CD4+TEM and CD8+TEM cell activation in the TIME and up-regulated IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-17A in CD4+T cells and Granzyme B in CD8+T cells. In addition, analyses of PD-1 and PD-L1 expression indicated that MENK promoted the anti-tumor immune response mediated by effector T cells. Finally, OGFr was up-regulated at the protein and mRNA levels by MENK, and the inhibitory effects of MENK on tumor growth were blocked by NTX, a specific blocker of OGFr. These finding indicate that MENK remodels the TIME in CRC to inhibit tumor progression by binding to OGFr. MENK is a potential therapeutic agent for CRC, especially for improving the efficacy of immunotherapy.