Cutting edge: Metabolic immune reprogramming, reactive oxygen species, and cancer

A recently proposed term immunometabolism points to the functional intracellular metabolic changes that occur within different immune cells. Recent findings suggest that immune responses can be determined by the metabolic status of immune cells and metabolic reprogramming is an important feature of immune cell activation. Metabolic reprogramming is also well known for cancer cells and has been suggested as a major sign of cancer progression. Metabolic reprogramming of immune cells is also seen in the tumor microenvironment. In the past decade, immunometabolism has progressively become an extraordinarily vibrant and productive area of study in immunology because of its importance for immunotherapy. Understanding the immunometabolic situation of T cells and other immune cells along with the metabolic behavior of cancer cells can help us design new therapeutic approaches against cancers. Here, we have the aim to review the cutting-edge findings on the immunometabolic situation in immune and tumor cells. We discuss new findings on signaling pathways during metabolic reprogramming, its regulation, and the participation of reactive oxygen species in these processes.

Automated summary

The term immunometabolism refers to intracellular metabolic changes within immune cells, influencing immune responses and being a key feature in immune cell activation and cancer cell progression. Due to its significance in immunotherapy, studying the immunometabolic situation of cells and understanding cancer cell metabolism can lead to innovative cancer treatment strategies.