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Harnessing the ROS for Cancer Treatment

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Handbook of Cancer and Immunology

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Abstract

Cancer treatment remains one of the toughest challenges. The paradox role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in different stages of cancer have attracted scientists to investigate the potential cancer therapeutic strategies from redox perspectives. One of these strategies is based on the reduction of ROS in preneoplastic stages of cancer (chemoprevention). Due to the abnormal redox microenvironment in cancer cells, the other strategy is based on elevating the ROS load to selectively kill cancer cells. The former approach includes supplement of exogenous ROS scavengers (antioxidants) or induction of the endogenous antioxidant capacity, while the latter may rely on inhibition of some major antioxidant systems, such as glutathione (GSH) and thioredoxin (Trx) systems, or harnessing some nano-medicine techniques such in photodynamic therapy (PDT) and chemodynamic therapy (CDT). This chapter discusses these redox-based cancer treatment approaches in detail and provides a brief knowledge about the role of redox-sensitive transcription factors in cancer, which may be considered as potential cancer therapeutic targets.

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Abbreviations

ALA:

5-aminolevulinic acid

AP-1:

activator protein 1

ASK1:

apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1

Bach1:

BTB and CNC homology 1

b-Zip:

Cap’n’collar basic-region leucine Zipper

CAT:

catalase

CDT:

chemodynamic therapy

COX:

Cyclooxygenase

CYP:

cytochrome P450

ETC:

electron transport chain

FDA:

US Food and Drug Administration

FOXO:

forkhead box protein O

GCL:

𝛾-glutamate-cysteine ligase

GCLM:

Glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit

GGT:

𝛾-glutamyl-transpeptidase

GLUTs:

membrane glucose transporters

Gpx:

glutathione peroxidase

GS:

glutathione synthetase

GSH:

glutathione

HO-1:

heme oxygenase-1

HOMO:

Highest occupied molecular orbital

HSF1:

heat shock factor 1

IKKβ:

IκB kinase-β

JNK:

c-Jun N-terminal kinase

Keap1:

Kelch-like ECH-associated protein

LEDs:

light-emitting diodes

LOX:

lipoxygenase

LUMO:

Lowest unoccupied molecular orbital

Maf:

musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma

MAO:

Monoamine oxidase

MMPs:

matrix metalloproteinases

NF-κB:

nuclear factor-kappa B

NOX:

NADPH oxidases

NQO1:

NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase 1

Nrf2:

nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2

OS:

oxidative stress

OXPHOS:

oxidative phosphorylation

oxPTMs:

oxidative post-translational modifications

PDT:

photodynamic therapy

PRX:

peroxiredoxin

PS:

photosensitizer

PTEN:

phosphatase and tensin homolog

redox:

oxidation-reduction

RNS:

reactive nitrogen species

ROS:

reactive oxygen species

SOD:

superoxide dismutase

TNF-α:

tumor necrosis factor-alpha

Trx:

thioredoxin

TrxR:

thioredoxin reductase

VEGF:

vascular endothelial growth factor

XO:

Xanthine oxidase

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Acknowledgments

Financial supports from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22077055 and 82003779), the Natural Science Foundation of Gansu Province (20JR5RA311), and the 111 project are acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China

    Alsiddig Osama, Junmin Zhang & Jianguo Fang

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  1. Alsiddig Osama
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  2. Junmin Zhang
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  3. Jianguo Fang
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Correspondence to Jianguo Fang .

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  1. Division of Clinical Immunology, Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, Sweden

    Nima Rezaei

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Osama, A., Zhang, J., Fang, J. (2023). Harnessing the ROS for Cancer Treatment. In: Rezaei, N. (eds) Handbook of Cancer and Immunology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80962-1_255-1

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