Abstract
The intratumoral microbiota, as an important component of the tumor microenvironment (TME), impact tumor progression by regulating the arginine-ornithine metabolic axis. It has become a new frontier in tumor research. Arginine is a crucial amino acid in TME, and its metabolites, ornithine and polyamines, directly promote tumor proliferation and induce immunosuppression. Intratumoral microbiota mainly exert their effects through two direct pathways: 1) arginine depletion, such as Streptococcus in gastric cancer. Specific intratumoral microbiota highly express arginine deiminase (ADI) or arginase (Arg) to consume arginine in the TME, leading to T cell dysfunction and enhancing immunosuppressive cells. 2) Ornithine/polyamines supplement, such as fusobacteria in esophageal cancer produce putrescine. The microbiota converts arginine into ornithine, which is then synthesized into polyamines, directly stimulating tumor cell proliferation and reshaping the immunosuppressive TME. Additionally, the metabolic products from the microbiota like short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and indole substances, can amplify these effects through signaling pathways including G protein-coupled receptor 43 (GPR43) and aryl hydrocarbon receptors (AHR). The regulation of intratumoral microbiota-arginine metabolism axis has a "double-edged sword" characteristic, relying on the metabolic dependence of the different tumors, which provides a basis for precise treatment. Furthermore, strategies targeting the axis present great potential, including Arg1 inhibitors (CB-1158) in combination with immunotherapy, engineered probiotics to supply arginine and inhibit polyamine synthesis in situ within the TME. These advancements also indicate there is enormous progress from exploring the intratumoral microbiota-metabolism interaction to developing novel tumor microecological therapies.