Atrial natriuretic peptide: a magic bullet for cancer therapy targeting Wnt signaling and cellular pH regulators

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Endocrinology
• Oncology
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) is a cardiac hormone vital for cardiovascular homeostasis.
• Emerging evidence highlights ANP's potential as an anticancer therapeutic agent, demonstrating inhibition of tumor growth in vitro and in vivo.
• The anti-proliferative mechanisms of ANP are linked to its interaction with natriuretic peptide receptors (NPRs).

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current understanding of ANP's anticancer properties.
• To highlight recent findings on ANP's dual-action mechanism involving Wnt/β-catenin and pH regulation.
• To underscore ANP's potential in developing new anticancer strategies.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on ANP and cancer.
• Analysis of experimental data on ANP's molecular targets.
• Investigation of ANP's effects on the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and cancer cell pH regulation.

Main Results:

• ANP inhibits cancer cell proliferation by targeting the Ras-MEK1/2-ERK1/2 kinase cascade, acting as a multikinase inhibitor.
• ANP's antitumor activity is further mediated by simultaneous modulation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.
• ANP influences cancer cell pH regulation through a Frizzled-related mechanism, impacting solid tumor survival.

Conclusions:

• ANP exhibits significant antitumor effects through multiple molecular pathways.
• The ability of ANP to simultaneously target critical cancer processes enhances its therapeutic potential.
• ANP represents a promising candidate for developing innovative preventive and therapeutic strategies against cancer.