Chemotherapy is a predominant strategy to treat cancer and is often associated with toxicities like severe diarrhea that puts patients at additional risk and can hinder treatment strategies.Lian et al. recently explored the immune-mediated mechanisms of Irinotecan-induced diarrhea in colorectal cancer and found that double-stranded DNA in small vesicles can launch inflammation pathways in immune cells through the cytosolic DNA sensor AIM2.
Of these, NLRP1, NLRP3, NLRC4, NLRP6, and AIM2 influence the pathogenesis of cancer by modulating innate and adaptive immune responses, cell death, proliferation, and/or the gut microbiota.
Genetic studies indicate that mutations in NLRP1, NLRP3, NLRC4, and AIM2 are linked with the development of auto-inflammatory diseases, enterocolitis, and cancer.