cells Review Association between Inflammation and Function of Cell Adhesion Molecules Influence on Gastrointestinal Cancer Development Hsiang-Wei Huang 1, Cheng-Chih Chang 2, Chia-Siu Wang 2 and Kwang-Huei Lin 1,3,4,* 1 Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan;
[email protected] 2 Department of General Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Chia-yi, Chia-yi 613, Taiwan;
[email protected] (C.-C.C.);
[email protected] (C.-S.W.) 3 Liver Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan 4 Research Center for Chinese Herbal Medicine, College of Human Ecology, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel./Fax: +886-3-211-8263 Abstract: Gastrointestinal cancer is highly associated with inflammatory processes inducing the release of cytokines from cancer or immune cells, including interferons, interleukins, chemokines, colony-stimulating factors, and growth factors, which promote or suppress tumor progression. Inflammatory cytokines within the tumor microenvironment promote immune cell infiltration. Infiltrating immune, and tumor-surrounding stromal cells support tumor growth, angiogenesis, metastasis, and immunosuppression through communication with inflammatory cytokines and cell adhesion molecules. Notably, infiltrating immune and tumor cells present immunosuppressive molecules, such as programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and CD80/CD86. Suppression of cytotoxic T cells promotes tumor avoidance of immune surveillance and greater malignancy. Moreover, glycosylation and sialylation of proteins hyperexpressed on the cancer cell surface have been shown to enhance immune escape and metastasis. Cytokine treatments and immune checkpoint inhibitors Citation: Huang, H.-W.; Chang, C.-C.; are widely used in clinical practice.