Salmonella-based
cancer therapies show great potential in preclinical models, but for most cases the observed antitumor effect is transient. Understanding the basis of the antitumor efficacy might guide the design of improved strains that elicit long-lasting effects, paving the wave for clinical use. Here, we deepened into the role of macrophages and
inflammasome activation in the context of Salmonella anti-
melanoma effect. We showed
inflammasome activation in
melanoma cells upon
infection, which correlated with cell surface exposure of gasdermin-D (GSDM-D) and
calreticulin (CRT) and High mobility group box 1
protein (HMGB-1) release, suggesting immunogenic cell death, particularly pyroptosis.
Salmonella infection upregulated levels of Caspase-11 (Casp11)
mRNA, but not Nlrp3 or Nlrc4
mRNA, the only described
inflammasome receptors engaged by Salmonella, suggesting that non-canonical
inflammasome activation could be occurring in
melanoma cells. Intratumoral administration of Salmonella to
melanoma-bearing mice elicited local
inflammasome activation and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) production together with
tumor growth retardation and extended survival in wild type but not
Caspase-1/11 (Casp1/11) knockout mice despite similar levels of intratumoral IL-1β in the later. Salmonella antitumor activity was also suppressed in
melanoma bearing Nlrp3 knockout mice. Salmonella induced macrophage recruitment to the
tumor site and infiltrating cells exhibited
inflammasome activation. Depletion experiments confirmed that macrophages are also essential for Salmonella anti-
melanoma effect. Intratumoral macrophages showed a marked M2/M1 shift soon
after treatment but this inflammatory profile is then lost, which could explain the transient effect of
therapy. All in all, our results highlight CASP-1/11 axis and macrophages as essential players in Salmonella-based
cancer immunotherapy and suggest a possible target for future interventions.