Lung cancer is one of the most common and lethal
neoplasms for which very few efficacious treatments are currently available. M1-like polarised tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) are key mediators to modulate the tumour microenvironment, which play a key role in inhibiting
cancer cell growth.
Sophoridine, a naturally occurring
alkaloid, exerts multiple pharmacological activities including anti-tumour and anti-inflammatory activities, but it has not been characterised as a regulator of tumour microenvironment towards NSCLC. Herein, the regulatory effects of
sophoridine on the polarisation of THP-1 cells into TAMs and the anti-tumour effects of
sophoridine-stimulated M1 polarised macrophages towards
lung cancer cells were carefully investigated both in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that
sophoridine could significantly promote M1 polarisation of RAW264.7 and THP-1-derived macrophages, leading to increased expression of pro-inflammatory
cytokines and the M1 surface markers CD86 via activating MAPKs signaling pathway. Further investigations showed that
sophoridine-stimulated RAW264.7 and THP-1-derived M1 macrophages effectively induced cell apoptosis as well as inhibited the cell colony formation and cell proliferation in both H460 and Lewis
lung cancer cells. In Lewis-bearing mice model,
sophoridine (15 or 25 mg/kg) significantly inhibited the tumour growth and up-regulated the expression of CD86/F4/80 in tumour tissues. Collectively, the findings clearly demonstrate that
sophoridine promoted M1-like polarisation in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that
sophoridine held a great therapeutic potential for treating
lung cancer.