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Review
. 2017 Sep;143(9):1789-1809.
doi: 10.1007/s00432-017-2464-9. Epub 2017 Jun 24.

ROS-modulated therapeutic approaches in cancer treatment

Muhammad Hassan Raza  1 , Sami Siraj  2 , Abida Arshad  3 , Usman Waheed  4 , Fahad Aldakheel  5 , Shatha Alduraywish  6 , Muhammad Arshad  7
Affiliations
Review

ROS-modulated therapeutic approaches in cancer treatment

Muhammad Hassan Raza et al. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 2017 Sep.

Abstract

Purpose: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are produced in cancer cells as a result of increased metabolic rate, dysfunction of mitochondria, elevated cell signaling, expression of oncogenes and increased peroxisome activities. Certain level of ROS is required by cancer cells, above or below which lead to cytotoxicity in cancer cells. This biochemical aspect can be exploited to develop novel therapeutic agents to preferentially and selectively target cancer cells.

Methods: We searched various electronic databases including PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar for peer-reviewed english-language articles. Selected articles ranging from research papers, clinical studies, and review articles on the ROS production in living systems, its role in cancer development and cancer treatment, and the role of microbiota in ROS-dependent cancer therapy were analyzed.

Results: This review highlights oxidative stress in tumors, underlying mechanisms of different relationships of ROS and cancer cells, different ROS-mediated therapeutic strategies and the emerging role of microbiota in cancer therapy.

Conclusion: Cancer cells exhibit increased ROS stress and disturbed redox homeostasis which lead to ROS adaptations. ROS-dependent anticancer therapies including ROS scavenging anticancer therapy and ROS boosting anticancer therapy have shown promising results in vitro as well as in vivo. In addition, response to cancer therapy is modulated by the human microbiota which plays a critical role in systemic body functions.

Keywords: Antioxidants; Cancer therapy; Microbiota; Pro-oxidants; Reactive oxygen species.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Generation of ROS in living systems, its role in tissue damage and its detoxification. ROS in living organisms is generated by two sources; exogenous and endogenous. It damages cellular components such as DNA, proteins, and lipids. Antioxidant system of the cell consists of different enzymatic molecules which detoxify ROS
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Double edged sword function of ROS. ROS acts as a double edged sword and its maintenance to a certain level is necessary and is required for cellular proliferation and survival. Rise in ROS generation and its accumulation leads to apoptosis. On the other hand, ROS levels below a specific threshold can lead to disruption of ROS-mediated signaling cascades and less cell growth. Furthermore, it also increases chances of cell death. Both of these approaches can be used to target cancer cells
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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