Single-Cell Transcriptomics Reveals Immune Modulation by Telmisartan in Colorectal Cancer

In contrast to its overall suppressive impact on macrophages, telmisartan increased the proportion of cytotoxic CD8⁺ T cells, reduced regulatory T cells, and enhanced major histocompatibility complex class I antigen presentation, consistent with an immune-activating effect. These results indicate that telmisartan reshapes the colorectal tumor immune microenvironment by simultaneously attenuating tumor-promoting macrophage activity and augmenting cytotoxic T cell responses.

Although exploratory, this study provides a single-cell framework to investigate how angiotensin receptor blockade shapes immune programs, generating testable hypotheses for both cancer immunotherapy combinations and follow-up studies in cardiovascular contexts.