The importance of metabolic pathways in regulating immune responses is now well established, and a mapping of the bioenergetic metabolism of different immune cell types is under way. CD8 T cells and natural killer (NK) cells contribute to cancer immunosurveillance through their cytotoxic functions and secretion of cytokines and chemokines, complementing each other in target recognition mechanisms. Several immunotherapies leverage these cell types by either stimulating their activity or redirecting their specificity against tumour cells. However, the anticancer activity of CD8 T cells and NK cells is rapidly diminished in the tumour microenvironment, closely linked to a decline in their metabolic capacities. Various strategies have been developed to restore cancer immunosurveillance, including targeting bioenergetic metabolism or genetic engineering. This Review provides an overview of metabolic dysfunction in CD8 T cells and NK cells within the tumour microenvironment, highlighting current therapies aiming to overcome these issues.

代谢途径在调节免疫反应中的重要性现已得到充分证实，并且正在绘制不同免疫细胞类型的生物能量代谢图谱。CD8 T 细胞和自然杀伤 （NK） 细胞通过其细胞毒功能以及细胞因子和趋化因子的分泌促进癌症免疫监视，在靶标识别机制中相辅相成。几种免疫疗法通过刺激它们的活性或重定向它们对肿瘤细胞的特异性来利用这些细胞类型。然而，CD8 T 细胞和 NK 细胞的抗癌活性在肿瘤微环境中迅速降低，这与它们的代谢能力下降密切相关。已经开发了各种策略来恢复癌症免疫监视，包括靶向生物能量代谢或基因工程。本综述概述了肿瘤微环境中 CD8 T 细胞和 NK 细胞的代谢功能障碍，重点介绍了旨在克服这些问题的当前疗法。