Change in cytokine profiles released by mast cells mediated by lung cancer-derived exosome activation may contribute to cancer-associated coagulation disorders

BACKGROUND: Coagulation disorders are a significant cause of lung cancer mortality. Although mast cells are known to play a role in coagulation abnormalities, their specific role in this process has not yet been elucidated. METHOD: We detected mast cells in the tumor microenvironment using single-cell sequencing data and examined their correlation with thrombosis-related genes, neutrophil-related genes, neutrophil extracellular trap-related signature genes, and immune infiltration levels in lung cancer patients through bioinformatics analysis. Bone marrow mast cell uptake of exosomes isolated from the lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549, which were labeled using PKH67, was observed using confocal microscopy. Mast cell degranulation was detected by measuring the β-hexosaminidase release rate. Additionally, cytokine array analysis was performed to identify altered mediators released by bone marrow mast cells after uptake of the exosomes. RESULTS: In our study, we found a close correlation between the proportion of mast cells in lung cancer patients and the expression levels of thrombosis-related genes and neutrophil extracellular trap signature genes, both of which play a key role in thrombophilic disorder. Moreover, we discovered that lung cancer cell-derived exosomes can be taken up by mast cells, which in turn become activated to release procoagulant mediators. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that exosomes derived from lung cancer cells can activate mast cells to release procoagulants that may contribute to abnormal blood clotting in lung cancer patients. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12964-023-01110-7.