Anti-cancer effect of targeting fibroblast activation protein alpha in glioblastoma through remodeling macrophage phenotype and suppressing tumor progression

Introduction: Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most malignant form of glioma and has a poor median survival time. Fibroblast activation protein alpha (FAP) is a dual-specificity serine protease that is strongly associated with the development and progression of human carcinomas. However, relatively little is known about the function of FAP and its potential as a therapeutic target in GBMs.

Aims: In this study, we aimed to explore the role of FAP in GBM through a series of experiments and to evaluate the therapeutic effect of PT100, a small molecule inhibitor of FAP, on GBM.

Results: Increased FAP expression was associated with poor survival in glioma. In vitro, FAP knockdown inhibited the process of EMT and caused a decrease in the number of M2 macrophages. In vivo, PT100 was confirmed to suppress the progression of GBMs significantly.

Conclusions: FAP could serve as a biomarker and novel therapeutic target for the treatment of GBM and that PT100 is a promising drug for the treatment of GBM.