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Predicting In Vivo Payloads Delivery using a Blood-brain Tumor-barrier in a Dish
Published on: April 16, 2019
Ion transporters in brain tumors
Damin Cong, Wen Zhu, John S Kuo
1Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh Medical School, S-598 South Biomedical Science Tower (BST), 3500 Terrace St., Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. sund@upmc.edu.
Ion transporters like NKCC-1 and NHE-1 are crucial in cancer progression. Inhibiting these transporters may offer new therapeutic strategies for glioblastoma and other malignant tumors.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Physiology
Background:
- Ion transporters regulate vital cellular functions including homeostasis and signaling.
- These transporters have recently been identified as significant contributors to cancer progression.
- Specific transporters, sodium-potassium-chloride cotransporter isoform 1 (NKCC-1) and sodium-hydrogen exchanger isoform 1 (NHE-1), are implicated in malignant tumors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the roles of NKCC-1 and NHE-1 in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and other cancers.
- To summarize pre-clinical evidence on the impact of targeting these ion transporters in cancer.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent pre-clinical experimental studies focusing on NKCC-1 and NHE-1.
- Analysis of data from studies involving GBM, breast cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, and lung cancer cells.
Main Results:
- NKCC-1 maintains cell volume and intracellular ion homeostasis.
- NHE-1 regulates intracellular and extracellular pH and cell volume.
- Pharmacological inhibition or down-regulation of NKCC-1 and NHE-1 reduced cancer cell proliferation, increased apoptosis, and suppressed migration and invasion.
Conclusions:
- NKCC-1 and NHE-1 play critical roles in the progression of GBM and other malignant tumors.
- Targeting these ion transporters presents a promising avenue for novel cancer diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
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