Harnessing the untapped potential of nucleotide‐binding oligomerization domain ligands for cancer immunotherapy

Nabergoj, Sanja (author), Mlinarič-Raščan, Irena (author), Jakopin, Žiga (author)

In the last decade, cancer immunotherapy has emerged as an effective alternative to traditional therapies such as chemotherapy and radiation. In contrast to the latter, cancer immunotherapy has the potential to distinguish between cancer and healthy cells, and thus to avoid severe and intolerable side-effects, since the cancer cells are effectively eliminated by stimulated immune cells. The cytosolic nucleotide binding oligomerization domains 1 and 2 receptors (NOD1 and NOD2) are important components of the innate immune system and constitute interesting targets in terms of strengthening the immune response against cancer cells. Many NOD ligands have been synthesized, in particular NOD2 agonists that exhibit favorable immunostimulatory and anticancer activity. Among them, mifamurtide has already been approved in Europe by the European Medicine Agency for treating patients with osteosarcoma in combination with chemotherapy after complete surgical removal of the primary tumor. This review is focused on NOD receptors as promising targets in cancer immunotherapy as well as summarizing current knowledge of the various NOD ligands exhibiting antitumor and even antimetastatic activity in vitro and in vivo.

• Language: English
• Keywords: adjuvants, cancer immunotherapy, immunotherapeutics, NOD1 agonists, NOD1 antagonists, NOD2 agonists, NOD2 antagonists
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.02 - Review Article
• Organization: FFA - Faculty of Pharmacy
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2019
• Number of pages: Str. 1447-1484
• Numbering: Vol. 39, iss. 5
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-125359
• UDC: 615.4:54
• ISSN on article: 1098-1128
• DOI: 10.1002/med.21557
• COBISS.SI-ID: 4641905
• Publication date in RUL: 12.03.2021

NABERGOJ, Sanja, MLINARIČ-RAŠČAN, Irena and JAKOPIN, Žiga, 2019, Harnessing the untapped potential of nucleotide‐binding oligomerization domain ligands for cancer immunotherapy. Medicinal research reviews [online]. 2019. Vol. 39, no. 5, p. 1447–1484. [Accessed 22 April 2025]. DOI 10.1002/med.21557. Retrieved from: https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/IzpisGradiva.php?lang=eng&id=125359

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Medicinal research reviews
• Shortened title: Med. res. rev.
• Publisher: Wiley
• ISSN: 1098-1128
• COBISS.SI-ID: 512824089

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 12.03.2021

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: ligandi, imunoterapevtiki, NOD1 agonisti, NOD1 antagonisti, NOD2 agonisti, NOD2 antagonisti

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P1-0208
• Name: Farmacevtska kemija: načrtovanje, sinteza in vrednotenje učinkovin