Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-2120, USA.
Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2011 Jul 18;63(8):582-96. doi: 10.1016/j.addr.2011.01.010. Epub 2011 Feb 2.
Cell invasion is an intrinsic cellular pathway whereby cells respond to extracellular stimuli to migrate through and modulate the structure of their extracellular matrix (ECM) in order to develop, repair, and protect the body's tissues. In cancer cells this process can become aberrantly regulated and lead to cancer metastasis. This cellular pathway contributes to the vast majority of cancer related fatalities, and therefore has been identified as a critical therapeutic target. Researchers have identified numerous potential molecular therapeutic targets of cancer cell invasion, yet delivery of therapies remains a major hurdle. Nanomedicine is a rapidly emerging technology which may offer a potential solution for tackling cancer metastasis by improving the specificity and potency of therapeutics delivered to invasive cancer cells. In this review we examine the biology of cancer cell invasion, its role in cancer progression and metastasis, molecular targets of cell invasion, and therapeutic inhibitors of cell invasion. We then discuss how the field of nanomedicine can be applied to monitor and treat cancer cell invasion. We aim to provide a perspective on how the advances in cancer biology and the field of nanomedicine can be combined to offer new solutions for treating cancer metastasis.
细胞侵袭是一种内在的细胞途径，通过该途径，细胞对外界刺激做出反应，通过迁移并调节其细胞外基质（ECM）的结构，从而发育、修复和保护身体组织。在癌细胞中，这个过程可能会异常调节，并导致癌症转移。这个细胞途径导致了绝大多数与癌症相关的死亡，因此被确定为一个关键的治疗靶点。研究人员已经确定了许多癌细胞侵袭的潜在分子治疗靶点，但治疗的传递仍然是一个主要障碍。纳米医学是一种迅速发展的技术，通过提高递送到侵袭性癌细胞的治疗药物的特异性和效力，可能为解决癌症转移提供一种潜在的解决方案。在这篇综述中，我们研究了癌细胞侵袭的生物学特性、它在癌症进展和转移中的作用、细胞侵袭的分子靶点以及细胞侵袭的治疗抑制剂。然后，我们讨论了纳米医学领域如何应用于监测和治疗癌细胞侵袭。我们旨在提供一种观点，即癌症生物学和纳米医学领域的进展如何结合起来为治疗癌症转移提供新的解决方案。
