Shiying Fan

Cancer immunotherapy has emerged as a groundbreaking method of treating malignancies. However, cancer immunotherapy can only benefit a small percentage of patients, and the numerous side effects that might develop during treatment reduce its effectiveness or even put patients' lives in jeopardy. Surprisingly, the gut microbiome Akkermansia muciniphila (A. muciniphila) can significantly inhibit carcinogenesis and improve anti-tumor effects, thus increasing the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy and decreasing the likelihood of side effects. In this review, we focus on the effects of A. muciniphila on the human immune system and the positive impacts of A. muciniphila on cancer immunotherapy, which can build on strengths and improve weaknesses of cancer immunotherapy. The potential clinical applications of A. muciniphila on cancer immunotherapy are also proposed, which have great prospects for anti-tumor therapy.

Although an imbalanced gut microbiome is closely associated with colorectal cancer (CRC), how the gut microbiome affects CRC is not known. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can affect important cellular functions such as cell division, proliferation, and apoptosis. The abnormal expression of lncRNAs can promote CRC cell growth, proliferation, and metastasis, mediating the effects of the gut microbiome on CRC. Generally, the gut microbiome regulates the lncRNAs expression, which subsequently impacts the host transcriptome to change the expression of downstream target molecules, ultimately resulting in the development and progression of CRC. We focused on the important role of the microbiome in CRC and their effects on CRC-related lncRNAs. We also reviewed the impact of the two main pathogenic bacteria, Fusobacterium nucleatum and enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis, and metabolites of the gut microbiome, butyrate, and lipopolysaccharide, on lncRNAs. Finally, available therapies that target the gut microbiome and lncRNAs to prevent and treat CRC were proposed.