Papi Alessio, Orlandi Marina
Alessio Papi, Marina Orlandi, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Science (BiGea), University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
World J Stem Cells. 2016 Mar 26;8(3):62-72. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v8.i3.62.
The recapitulation of primary tumour heterogenity and the existence of a minor sub-population of cancer cells, capable of initiating tumour growth in xenografts on serial passages, led to the hypothesis that cancer stem cells (CSCs) exist. CSCs are present in many tumours, among which is breast cancer. Breast CSCs (BCSCs) are likely to sustain the growth of the primary tumour mass, as well as to be responsible for disease relapse and metastatic spreading. Consequently, BCSCs represent the most significant target for new drugs in breast cancer therapy. Both the hypoxic condition in BCSCs biology and pro-inflammatory cytokine network has gained increasing importance in the recent past. Breast stromal cells are crucial components of the tumours milieu and are a major source of inflammatory mediators. Recently, the anti-inflammatory role of some nuclear receptors ligands has emerged in several diseases, including breast cancer. Therefore, the use of nuclear receptors ligands may be a valid strategy to inhibit BCSCs viability and consequently breast cancer growth and disease relapse.
原发肿瘤异质性的重现以及存在一小部分能够在连续传代的异种移植中启动肿瘤生长的癌细胞亚群，导致了癌症干细胞（CSCs）存在的假说。CSCs存在于许多肿瘤中，乳腺癌就是其中之一。乳腺癌症干细胞（BCSCs）可能维持原发肿瘤块的生长，并导致疾病复发和转移扩散。因此，BCSCs是乳腺癌治疗新药的最重要靶点。在最近，BCSCs生物学中的缺氧状态和促炎细胞因子网络都变得越来越重要。乳腺基质细胞是肿瘤微环境的关键组成部分，是炎症介质的主要来源。最近，一些核受体配体的抗炎作用在包括乳腺癌在内的几种疾病中显现出来。因此，使用核受体配体可能是抑制BCSCs活力从而抑制乳腺癌生长和疾病复发的有效策略。
