Engineering Research Center for New Materials and Precision Treatment Technology of Malignant Tumors Therapy, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China.
Engineering Technology Research Center for Translational Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China.
Ann Med. 2023 Dec;55(1):1058-1069. doi: 10.1080/07853890.2023.2180155.
Tumour-associated endothelial cells (TECs) are a critical stromal cell type in the tumour microenvironment and play central roles in tumour angiogenesis. Notably, TECs have phenotypic plasticity, as they have the potential to transdifferentiate into cells with a mesenchymal phenotype through a process termed endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT). Many studies have reported that EndoMT influences multiple malignant biological properties of tumours, such as abnormal angiogenesis and tumour metabolism, growth, metastasis and therapeutic resistance. Thus, the value of targeting EndoMT in tumour treatment has received increased attention. In this review, we comprehensively explore the phenomenon of EndoMT in the tumour microenvironment and identify influencing factors and molecular mechanisms responsible for EndoMT induction. Furthermore, the pathological functions of EndoMT in tumour progression and potential therapeutic strategies for targeting EndoMT in tumour treatment are also discussed to highlight the pivotal roles of EndoMT in tumour progression and therapy.
肿瘤相关内皮细胞（TECs）是肿瘤微环境中一种关键的基质细胞类型，在肿瘤血管生成中发挥核心作用。值得注意的是，TECs 具有表型可塑性，因为它们有可能通过内皮细胞向间充质转化（EndoMT）过程转分化为具有间充质表型的细胞。许多研究报告称，EndoMT 影响肿瘤的多种恶性生物学特性，如异常血管生成和肿瘤代谢、生长、转移和治疗耐药性。因此，靶向肿瘤治疗中的 EndoMT 的价值受到了越来越多的关注。在这篇综述中，我们全面探讨了肿瘤微环境中的 EndoMT 现象，并确定了诱导 EndoMT 的影响因素和分子机制。此外，还讨论了 EndoMT 在肿瘤进展中的病理功能以及针对肿瘤治疗中 EndoMT 的潜在治疗策略，以强调 EndoMT 在肿瘤进展和治疗中的关键作用。
