Switching Invariant Natural Killer T (iNKT) Cell Response from Anticancerous to Anti-Inflammatory Effect: Molecular Bases

Since the discovery in 1995 of alpha-galactosylcer-amide 1 (alpha-GalCer), also known as KRN7000,(1) hundreds of compounds have been synthesized in order to activate invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells. Such keen interest for this lymphocyte cell type is due to its ability to produce different cytokines that bias the immune response toward a Th1 or Th2 profile. Thus, an understanding of the immune polarization mechanism via iNKT activation may pave the way toward new therapeutics in various domains including cancer and infectious and autoimmune diseases. In this review, we propose an up-to-date analysis of iNKT activators associated with a structure-activity relationship (SAR) study aimed at complementing available reviews by highlighting molecular bases for a selective immune response.