Department of Rheumatology, University of Foggia Medical School, Foggia, Italy.
J Cell Physiol. 2013 Jul;228(7):1428-32. doi: 10.1002/jcp.24326.
Wnt signaling plays a key role in several physiological and pathological aspects. Even if Wnt signal was first described more than 20 years ago, its role in systemic effects, such as angiogenesis and vascular disorders, bone biology, autoimmune diseases, neurological diseases, and neoplastic disorders, was only recently emerged through the use of animal and in vitro models. Moreover, Wnt signaling inhibitors, such as DKK-1, may be advantageously considered targets for the treatment of several diseases, including osteoporosis, vascular diseases, inflammatory diseases, neurological diseases, and cancer. Nevertheless, further studies are required to provide a complete understanding of this complex signaling pathway, and especially of its role in human diseases, considering the possible advantageous effects of Wnt signaling inhibitors on the progression of disease conditions.
Wnt 信号通路在多种生理和病理方面发挥着关键作用。尽管 Wnt 信号通路在 20 多年前就已经被首次描述，但直到最近，通过使用动物和体外模型，人们才逐渐认识到它在系统性效应（如血管生成和血管紊乱、骨生物学、自身免疫性疾病、神经退行性疾病和肿瘤性疾病）中的作用。此外，Wnt 信号通路抑制剂，如 DKK-1，可能被视为治疗多种疾病的有利靶点，包括骨质疏松症、血管疾病、炎症性疾病、神经退行性疾病和癌症。然而，为了提供对该复杂信号通路的全面理解，特别是其在人类疾病中的作用，还需要进一步的研究，因为 Wnt 信号通路抑制剂可能对疾病进展具有有利影响。
