Fig. 3.

In addition to promoting direct natural killer T (NKT)-cell mediating killing of tumor cells, target treatments and immunotherapies have been developed to enhance the ability of NKT cells to indirectly eliminate tumor cells. Activated NKT cells produce cytokines, such as IFN-γ, TNF-α, and GM-CSF, that can help promote the activation of NK cells, CD8+ T cells, and in combination with CD40/CD40L interactions lead to the maturation of dendritic cells (DCs), further enhancing anti-tumor immune responses. Oncolytic viruses can increase antigen presentation. α-GalCer-loaded DCs increase the activation of invariant NKT (iNKT), NK, and T cells. CD1d-antibody fusion proteins increase the cytotoxicity of iNKT, NK, and T cells against tumor cells