Pulmonary administration of a CSF-1R inhibitor alters the balance of tumor-associated macrophages and supports first-line chemotherapy in a lung cancer model

Lung cancers remain the leading cause of cancer-related death in both men and women. Infiltrating immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) play a critical role in the formation, progression, and the response of solid tumors to therapy, including in lung cancers. Clinical studies have established that tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and their phenotypical composition are critical immune infiltrates in the lung TME, with the abundance of the M2-like phenotype negatively correlating with patient survival. Colony-Stimulating Factor 1 (CSF-1) receptor (CSF-1R) is a type III protein tyrosine kinase receptor that plays an important role in the recruitment and differentiation of monocytes into tumor-promoting M2-like TAMs and their survival. In this work we evaluated the therapeutic potential of PLX 3397 (PLX), a small molecule CSF-1R inhibitor (CSF-1Ri), upon local lung administration in an immune-competent mouse model of lung cancer. The efficacy of local lung delivered PLX as single therapy was investigated first. As assessed by immunofluorescence of sections of lung tumor nodules, a statistically significant reduction in M2-like TAMs and an increase in M1-like TAMs was observed, thus leading to a shift in the (M1/M2) balance. Those changes in abundance of immune infiltrates correlated with a significant decrease in tumor burden when compared to control. When combined with systemically administered cisplatin (CIS) PLX treatment provided further benefits, leading to a significant decrease in tumor burden when compared to either PLX or CIS treatments alone, as measured by bioluminescence intensity (BLI) in vivo (thoracic area) and ex vivo (lung tissue). This combination therapy led to the most pronounced increase in M1/M2 ratio, followed by a significant decrease in M2-like TAMs with the CIS therapy. This work is clinically relevant as it demonstrates the potential of local lung administration of PLX to support standard of care chemotherapy for lung cancer management. This is important as the pulmonary route of administration is a plausible strategy for reducing the total dose of CSF-1Ris as the tissue of interest (lungs) can be locally targeted. Because the major off-target effect of CSF-1Ris is liver toxicity, reducing systemic concentration will support translation of those therapies, especially in combination with standard of care chemotherapy that has significant off-target toxicity and patient attrition itself. This work is scientifically relevant as we demonstrate for the first time that local administration of a CSF-1Ri to the lungs leads to a shift in the balance of TAMs in the TME of a model of lung tumor, adding to the sparse literature of CSF-1Ris related to lung cancers.