Imaging endogenous macrophage iron deposits reveals a metabolic biomarker of polarized tumor macrophage infiltration and response to CSF1R breast cancer immunotherapy

Sci Rep. 2019 Jan 29;9(1):857. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-37408-7.

Abstract

Iron deposits are a phenotypic trait of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). Histological iron imaging and contrast-agent free magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can detect these deposits, but their presence in human cancer, and correlation with immunotherapeutic response is largely untested. Here, primarily using these iron imaging approaches, we evaluated the spatial distribution of polarized macrophage populations containing high endogenous levels of iron in preclinical murine models and human breast cancer, and used them as metabolic biomarkers to correlate TAM infiltration with response to immunotherapy in preclinical trials. Macrophage-targeted inhibition of the colony stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R) by immunotherapy was confirmed to inhibit macrophage accumulation and slow mammary tumor growth in mouse models while also reducing hemosiderin iron-laden TAM accumulation as measured by both iron histology and in vivo iron MRI (FeMRI). Spatial profiling of TAM iron deposit infiltration defined regions of maximal accumulation and response to the CSF1R inhibitor, and revealed differences between microenvironments of human cancer according to levels of polarized macrophage iron accumulation in stromal margins. We therefore demonstrate that iron deposition serves as an endogenous metabolic imaging biomarker of TAM infiltration in breast cancer that has high translational potential for evaluation of immunotherapeutic response.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Biomarkers, Pharmacological / metabolism*
  • Breast Neoplasms / immunology*
  • Breast Neoplasms / therapy
  • Cell Differentiation
  • Cell Movement
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Diagnostic Imaging
  • Female
  • Hemosiderin / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Immunotherapy / methods*
  • Intracellular Space
  • Iron / metabolism*
  • Macrophages / immunology
  • Macrophages / metabolism*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Receptors, Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Tumor Microenvironment

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Biomarkers, Pharmacological
  • CSF1R protein, human
  • Receptors, Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor
  • Hemosiderin
  • Iron