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Relationship of immune response with intestinal flora and metabolic reprogramming in patients with non-small cell lung cancer

GUO Rui¹, HE Zhe², LIU Fan³, PENG Hui-Zhen⁴, XING Li-Wei^1,*

¹The First Clinical Medical College, Yunnan University of Chinese Medicine, Kunming 650500, China；²The Second Clinical Medical College, Yunnan University of Chinese Medicine, Kunming 650500, China；³Department of Rehabilitation, Pingyang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhejiang University of Chinese Medicine, Wenzhou 325000, China；⁴School of Chinese Materia Medica, Yunnan University of Chinese Medicine, Kunming 650500, China

Abstract

Numerous research conducted in recent years has revealed that gut microbial dysbiosis, such as modifications in composition and activity, might influence lung tissue homeostasis through specific pathways, thereby promoting susceptibility to lung diseases. The development and progression of lung cancer, as well as the effectiveness of immunotherapy are closely associated with gut flora and metabolites, which influence immunological and inflammatory responses. During abnormal proliferation, non-small cell lung cancer cells acquire more substances and energy by altering their own metabolic pathways. Glucose and amino acid metabolism reprogramming provide tumor cells with abundant ATP, carbon, and nitrogen sources, respectively, providing optimal conditions for tumor cell proliferation, invasion, and immune escape. This article reviews the relationship of immune response with gut flora and metabolic reprogramming in non-small cell lung cancer, and discusses the potential mechanisms by which gut flora and metabolic reprogramming affect the occurrence, development, and immunotherapy of non-small cell lung cancer, in order to provide new ideas for precision treatment of lung cancer patients.

Key words: non-small cell lung cancer; metabolic reprogramming; intestinal flora; immunity

Received: 　　Accepted:

Corresponding author: 邢利威　　E-mail:

DOI: 10.13294/j.aps.2025.0031

Citing This Article：

GUO Rui, HE Zhe, LIU Fan, PENG Hui-Zhen, XING Li-Wei. Relationship of immune response with intestinal flora and metabolic reprogramming in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Acta Physiol Sin 2025; 77 (2): 289-299