Ravera Mauro, Gabano Elisabetta, Tonello Stelvio, Colangelo Donato
Dipartimento di Scienze e Innovazione Tecnologica, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Viale Teresa Michel 11, 15121 Alessandria, Italy.
Dipartimento per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile e la Transizione Ecologica, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Piazza Sant'Eusebio 5, 13100 Vercelli, Italy.
Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2025 Jul 17;18(7):1047. doi: 10.3390/ph18071047.
Cellular and molecular characteristics of the tumor microenvironment are fundamental for the formation of niches. These structures include both cellular and matrix components and have been shown to protect and promote cancer formation and progression. The peculiarities of tumor niches have been suggested by many authors as targets with high therapeutic potential. This narrative review analyzes the chemical characteristics of the tumor microenvironment and describes experimental and clinical approaches to influence its contribution to cancer promotion and the spread of metastases. In particular, the possible chemical differences, like pH, oxygen levels, and cell composition, to be used for the design of drugs or the delivery of antiproliferative moieties for a more precise oncology approach, will be discussed. The literature proposes a vast number of molecules, but this review focuses on hypoxia-activated molecules, pH-sensitive nanocarriers, metal-based drugs, and gasotransmitters targeting selectively the tumor microenvironment as possible negative modulators of the contribution of niches to tumor promotion. The chemical peculiarities of the tumor niche are discussed for possible pharmacological developments.
肿瘤微环境的细胞和分子特征是龛形成的基础。这些结构包括细胞和基质成分，并且已被证明可保护和促进癌症的形成与进展。许多作者认为肿瘤龛的特性是具有高治疗潜力的靶点。本叙述性综述分析了肿瘤微环境的化学特征，并描述了影响其对癌症促进和转移扩散作用的实验和临床方法。特别是，将讨论可能用于设计药物或递送抗增殖部分以实现更精确肿瘤学方法的化学差异，如pH值、氧水平和细胞组成。文献中提出了大量分子，但本综述重点关注缺氧激活分子、pH敏感纳米载体、金属基药物和气体信号分子，它们作为龛对肿瘤促进作用的可能负调节剂，选择性地靶向肿瘤微环境。讨论了肿瘤龛的化学特性以促进可能的药理学发展。
