Apoptotic death of cancer stem cells for cancer therapy.

Int J Mol Sci

Division of Stem Cell Regulation and Application, College of Medicine, Hunan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changsha 410208, China.

Published: May 2014

AI Article Synopsis

  • Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are key players in tumor growth, resistance to treatments, and cancer relapse, highlighting their importance in cancer research.* -
  • Recent research has improved our knowledge of CSCs and led to new treatment approaches, particularly focusing on the signaling pathways that control CSC cell death (apoptosis).* -
  • The article discusses various agents that can selectively induce apoptosis in CSCs, including synthetic and natural compounds, antibodies, and oligonucleotides, examining their potential as cancer therapies.*

Article Abstract

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) play crucial roles in tumor progression, chemo- and radiotherapy resistance, and recurrence. Recent studies on CSCs have advanced understanding of molecular oncology and development of novel therapeutic strategies. This review article updates the hypothesis and paradigm of CSCs with a focus on major signaling pathways and effectors that regulate CSC apoptosis. Selective CSC apoptotic inducers are introduced and their therapeutic potentials are discussed. These include synthetic and natural compounds, antibodies and recombinant proteins, and oligonucleotides.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4057734PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijms15058335DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

cancer stem
8
stem cells
8
apoptotic death
4
death cancer
4
cells cancer
4
cancer therapy
4
therapy cancer
4
cells cscs
4
cscs play
4
play crucial
4

Similar Publications

Background: Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is a highly lethal disease, often diagnosed with advanced locoregional and distant metastases, resulting in a median survival of just 3-5 months. This study determines the stratified effectiveness of baseline treatments in all combinations, enabling precise prognoses prediction and establishing benchmarks for advanced therapeutic options.

Methods: The study extracted a cohort of pathologically confirmed ATC patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Chronic Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a major complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), affecting the female genital tract in 25-66% of the patients. This condition, referred to as Genital GVHD is an underdiagnosed gynecologic comorbidity, that can significantly impair quality of life. We aimed to describe the prevalence and management of genital GVHD following HSCT.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Immunity suffers a function deficit during aging, and the incidence of cancer is increased in the elderly. However, most cancer models employ young mice, which are poorly representative of adult cancer patients. We have previously reported that Triple-Therapy (TT), involving antigen-presenting-cell activation by vinorelbine and generation of TCF1-stem-cell-like T cells (scTs) by cyclophosphamide significantly improved anti-PD-1 efficacy in anti-PD1-resistant models like Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) and Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL), due to T-cell-mediated tumor killing.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Crosstalk between GLTSCR1-deficient endothelial cells and tumour cells promotes colorectal cancer development by activating the Notch pathway.

Cell Death Differ

January 2025

Department of Pathology and International Institutes of Medicine, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital (Yiwu), Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, China.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) typically reside in perivascular niches, but whether endothelial cells of blood vessels influence the stemness of cancer cells remains poorly understood. This study revealed that endothelial cell-specific GLTSCR1 deletion promotes colorectal cancer (CRC) tumorigenesis and metastasis by increasing cancer cell stemness. Mechanistically, knocking down GLTSCR1 induces the transformation of endothelial cells into tip cells by regulating the expression of Neuropilin-1 (NRP1), thereby increasing the direct contact and interaction between endothelial cells and tumour cells.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Refractory disease and relapse are major challenges in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) therapy attributed to survival of leukemic stem cells (LSC). To target LSCs, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) provide an elegant solution, combining the specificity of antibodies with highly potent payloads. We aimed to investigate if FLT3-20D9h3-ADCs delivering either the DNA-alkylator duocarmycin (DUBA) or the microtubule-toxin monomethyl auristatin F (MMAF) can eradicate quiescent LSCs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!