Department of Pathophysiology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
Antioxid Redox Signal. 2012 Jun 1;16(11):1215-28. doi: 10.1089/ars.2012.4529. Epub 2012 Mar 9.
Reactive oxygen species (ROS), byproducts of aerobic metabolism, are increased in many types of cancer cells. Increased endogenous ROS lead to adaptive changes and may play pivotal roles in tumorigenesis, metastasis, and resistance to radiation and chemotherapy. In contrast, the ROS generated by xenobiotics disturb the redox balance and may selectively kill cancer cells but spare normal cells.
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are integral parts of pathophysiological mechanisms of tumor progression, metastasis, and chemo/radio resistance. Currently, intracellular ROS in CSCs is an active field of research.
Normal stem cells such as hematopoietic stem cells reside in niches characterized by hypoxia and low ROS, both of which are critical for maintaining the potential for self-renewal and stemness. However, the roles of ROS in CSCs remain poorly understood.
Based on the regulation of ROS levels in normal stem cells and CSCs, future research may evaluate the potential therapeutic application of ROS elevation by exogenous xenobiotics to eliminate CSCs.
活性氧（ROS）是需氧代谢的副产物，在许多类型的癌细胞中增加。增加的内源性 ROS 导致适应性变化，并可能在肿瘤发生、转移以及对辐射和化疗的耐药性中发挥关键作用。相比之下，外源性物质产生的 ROS 扰乱了氧化还原平衡，可能选择性地杀死癌细胞而不伤害正常细胞。
癌症干细胞（CSC）是肿瘤进展、转移和化疗/放疗耐药的病理生理机制的组成部分。目前，CSC 中的细胞内 ROS 是一个活跃的研究领域。
造血干细胞等正常干细胞存在于缺氧和低 ROS 的小生境中，这两者对于维持自我更新和干细胞特性的潜力都至关重要。然而，ROS 在 CSC 中的作用仍知之甚少。
基于正常干细胞和 CSC 中 ROS 水平的调节，未来的研究可能会评估通过外源性外源物质升高 ROS 以消除 CSC 的潜在治疗应用。
