Lipocalin-2 drives brain metastatic progression through reciprocal tumor-microenvironment interactions in lung cancer

Brain metastasis is a major contributor to mortality in patients with lung cancer. The unique microenvironment of the brain plays a critical role in the initiation and progression of brain metastases (BM), yet the molecular mechanisms underlying tumor-microenvironment interactions remain poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that upregulation of lipocalin-2 (LCN2) in tumor cells promotes brain metastatic progression by orchestrating crosstalk among metastatic tumor cells, astrocytes, and macrophages. Brain metastatic tumor cells secrete LCN2, which binds to SLC22A17 on astrocytes, activating JAK2/STAT3 signaling and inducing astrocyte activation and chemokine secretion, thereby facilitating macrophage recruitment. In turn, macrophages secrete IL-1β, which further upregulates LCN2 expression in tumor cells. Prophylactic administration of the IL-1 receptor antagonist anakinra inhibits BM formation, whereas therapeutic administration alone is ineffective. However, treatment with the STAT3 inhibitor SH4-54, either alone or in combination with anakinra, significantly suppressed tumor growth in the BM. Furthermore, tumor-secreted LCN2 can bind to SLC22A17 on tumor cells, activating JAK2/STAT3 signaling and promoting VEGF-A expression and release, which enhances tumor neovascularization. Inhibition of this axis with SH4-54, bevacizumab, or their combination effectively reduces the tumor burden in BM-bearing mice. These findings underscore the central role of LCN2 in driving brain metastasis and highlight a potential therapeutic strategy for targeting brain metastatic lung cancer.