CXCL8 (IL-8)

Class

CXCL8 (IL-8)-neutralizing antibody

Pathway

CXCL8/CXCR1-CXCR2 chemokine signaling (tumor-associated neutrophil/myeloid recruitment)

CXCL8, commonly known as interleukin-8 (IL-8), is a small signaling protein called a chemokine that is released by tumor cells, stromal cells, and immune cells in response to inflammatory stimuli or tissue stress. Its principal biological role is to recruit neutrophils and other myeloid cells to sites of injury or infection by binding the receptors CXCR1 and CXCR2 on their surface. In cancer, tumors often co-opt this pathway, secreting CXCL8 to draw in tumor-associated neutrophils and myeloid-derived suppressor cells that dampen anti-tumor immune responses, promote angiogenesis, and support invasion and metastasis. Blocking CXCL8, either by neutralizing the protein itself with an antibody or by inhibiting its receptors with a small molecule, aims to interrupt this recruitment signal, thereby reducing the immunosuppressive and pro-invasive myeloid infiltrate within tumors. Because the CXCL8-CXCR1/CXCR2 axis also participates in chronic inflammatory diseases, such as certain lung and skin conditions, this mechanism has broader relevance beyond oncology. The general rationale for targeting this pathway is to reshape the tumor microenvironment toward a state more receptive to immune attack, often as a complement to other immune-modulating therapies rather than as a direct cytotoxic strategy.