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Review
. 2023 Jan 9;24(2):1285.
doi: 10.3390/ijms24021285.

The Therapeutic Potential of Pyroptosis in Melanoma

Nadia Zaffaroni  1 , Giovanni L Beretta  1
Affiliations
Review

The Therapeutic Potential of Pyroptosis in Melanoma

Nadia Zaffaroni et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Pyroptosis is a programmed cell death characterized by the rupture of the plasma membranes and release of cellular content leading to inflammatory reaction. Four cellular mechanisms inducing pyroptosis have been reported thus far, including the (i) caspase 1-mediated canonical, (ii) caspase 4/5/11-mediated non-canonical, (iii) caspase 3/8-mediated and (iv) caspase-independent pathways. Although discovered as a defense mechanism protecting cells from infections of intracellular pathogens, pyroptosis plays roles in tumor initiation, progression and metastasis of tumors, as well as in treatment response to antitumor drugs and, consequently, patient outcome. Pyroptosis induction following antitumor therapies has been reported in several tumor types, including lung, colorectal and gastric cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma and melanoma. This review provides an overview of the cellular pathways of pyroptosis and discusses the therapeutic potential of pyroptosis induction in cancer, particularly in melanoma.

Keywords: drug combinations; gasdermin; gene signature; melanoma; pyroptosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Caspase-dependent mechanisms of pyroptosis. The figure is prepared using tools from Servier Medical Art (http://www.servier.fr/servier-medical-art (accessed on 1 November 2022).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Caspase-independent and caspase 3/8-dependent mechanisms of pyroptosis. The figure is prepared using tools from Servier Medical Art (http://www.servier.fr/servier-medical-art (accessed on 1 November 2022).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Molecules that induce pyroptosis in melanoma. The chemical structures of BRAF inhibitor, vemurafenib (PLX4720); MEK inhibitors, PD0325901 and trametinib; PDK1 Inhibitor, GSK2334470; DNA alkylating agent, temozolomide; autophagy inhibitor, chloroquine; antihyperglycemic agent, metformin; and toposiomerase II poison, doxorubicin, are reported.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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