Research Center for Biochemistry and Nutrition in Metabolic Diseases, Institute for Basic Sciences, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, I.R, Iran.
Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Cancer Prevention Research Center, Seyyed Al-Shohada Hospital, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Biochimie. 2022 Nov;202:15-25. doi: 10.1016/j.biochi.2022.05.012. Epub 2022 May 27.
Currently, cancer is ranked among the top ten causes of death worldwide. Despite the advances made in the field of cancer treatment, 5-year survival rates of various types of cancer are still low due to the recurrence of the disease and/or metastasis. Dissemination of cancer cells, infiltration into the blood vessels, migration to the targeted organs, extravasation, and colonization are the main steps of metastasis. Various factors and signaling pathways are involved in each of these steps. Melatonin (MLT) is a hormone derived from tryptophan and secreted by the pineal gland. This hormone has shown a variety of anti-tumor effects, including anti-oxidative activities, inhibiting the proliferation of tumor cells, inducing apoptosis, and suppressing metastasis. Due to these extensive effects, several studies have been conducted on the applications of MLT in treating different types of cancer. Herein, we review the mechanisms of MLT's effects on the metastasis inhibition of the most lethal types of cancer including the cancer of lung, breast, stomach, kidney, colon, liver, bladder, and pancreas. We discuss how MLT targets different molecules and signaling pathways in each step of the metastasis, such as angiogenesis, remodeling of the extracellular matrix, migration, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.
目前，癌症是全球十大死因之一。尽管在癌症治疗领域取得了进展，但由于疾病的复发和/或转移，各种癌症的 5 年生存率仍然较低。癌细胞的扩散、浸润血管、迁移到靶器官、渗出和定植是转移的主要步骤。这些步骤中的每一步都涉及到各种因素和信号通路。褪黑素（MLT）是一种由色氨酸衍生并由松果体分泌的激素。这种激素具有多种抗肿瘤作用，包括抗氧化活性、抑制肿瘤细胞增殖、诱导细胞凋亡和抑制转移。由于这些广泛的作用，已经进行了多项关于 MLT 在治疗不同类型癌症中的应用的研究。本文综述了 MLT 对包括肺癌、乳腺癌、胃癌、肾癌、结肠癌、肝癌、膀胱癌和胰腺癌在内的最致命类型癌症的转移抑制作用的机制。我们讨论了 MLT 如何针对转移的每个步骤中的不同分子和信号通路，如血管生成、细胞外基质重塑、迁移和上皮-间充质转化。
