Lidocaine suppresses lung cancer metastasis by inhibiting polarisation of tumour-associated macrophages in mice

BACKGROUND: Tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs), which are frequently associated with cancer-related death in humans, play crucial roles in the metastasis of tumours, including lung cancer. However, whether lidocaine affects TAMs and exerts antimetastatic effects on non-small cell lung cancer remains unclear. METHODS: Lung cancer cells were treated directly with lidocaine or cocultured with lidocaine-treated TAMs. The effect of lidocaine on lung cancer metastasis was assessed by performing experiments in C57BL/6 mice and BALB/c nude mice in vivo. The migration and proliferation of lung cancer cells were evaluated by wound healing, transwell, and CCK-8 assays. Furthermore, changes in macrophage polarisation were assessed via reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and flow cytometry analysis. RESULTS: Lidocaine suppressed tumour metastasis in C57BL/6 mice (P