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Published on: April 6, 2021
Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Cancer Therapy: Current Knowledge, Challenges and Future Perspectives
Zheng Pang1, Meng-Di Gu1, Tong Tang2
1Innovative Institute of Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China.
Abstract:
Drug resistance, undesirable toxicity and lack of selectivity are the major challenges of conventional cancer therapies, which cause poor clinical outcomes and high mortality in many cancer patients. Development of alternative cancer therapeutics are highly required for the patients who are resistant to the conventional cancer therapies, including radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The success of a new cancer therapy depends on its high specificity to cancer cells and low toxicity to normal cells. Utilization of bacteria has emerged as a promising strategy for cancer treatment. Attenuated or genetically modified bacteria were used to inhibit tumor growth, modulate host immunity, or deliver anti-tumor agents. The bacteria-derived immunotoxins were capable of destructing tumors with high specificity. These bacteria-based strategies for cancer treatment have shown potent anti-tumor effects both in vivo and in vitro, and some of them have proceeded to clinical trials. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a Gram-negative bacterial pathogen, is one of the common bacteria used in development of bacteria-based cancer therapy, particularly known for the Pseudomonas exotoxin A-based immunotoxins, which have shown remarkable anti-tumor efficacy and specificity. This review concisely summarizes the current knowledge regarding the utilization of P. aeruginosa in cancer treatment, and discusses the challenges and future perspectives of the P. aeruginosa-based therapeutic strategies.
Insights
Conventional cancer therapies face challenges like drug resistance and toxicity. Bacteria, particularly Pseudomonas aeruginosa, offer a promising alternative for targeted cancer treatment with potent anti-tumor effects and high specificity, showing potential in clinical trials.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Microbiology
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Conventional cancer therapies (chemotherapy, radiotherapy) face significant challenges including drug resistance, toxicity, and lack of selectivity, leading to poor patient outcomes.
- Alternative therapeutic strategies are crucial for patients resistant to standard treatments, necessitating approaches with high specificity to cancer cells and low toxicity to normal cells.
- Bacteria-based cancer therapies have emerged as a promising strategy, utilizing modified bacteria to inhibit tumor growth, modulate immunity, or deliver anti-tumor agents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current knowledge on the utilization of *Pseudomonas aeruginosa* in cancer treatment.
- To discuss the challenges and future perspectives of *P. aeruginosa*-based therapeutic strategies for cancer.
- To highlight the potential of bacteria-derived immunotoxins, specifically those based on *Pseudomonas* exotoxin A, for targeted tumor destruction.
Main Methods:
- Literature review summarizing research on *Pseudomonas aeruginosa* in cancer therapy.
- Analysis of bacteria-based strategies, including attenuated or genetically modified bacteria.
- Focus on *Pseudomonas* exotoxin A-based immunotoxins for their anti-tumor efficacy and specificity.
Main Results:
- *Pseudomonas aeruginosa* is a key bacterium used in developing targeted cancer therapies.
- Bacteria-based strategies, including immunotoxins, demonstrate potent *in vivo* and *in vitro* anti-tumor effects.
- *Pseudomonas* exotoxin A-based immunotoxins show remarkable specificity and efficacy against tumors, with some progressing to clinical trials.
Conclusions:
- *Pseudomonas aeruginosa* holds significant promise as a platform for novel cancer therapeutics, particularly through its exotoxin A.
- Bacteria-based cancer treatments offer a viable alternative to conventional therapies, addressing issues of resistance and toxicity.
- Further research and development of *P. aeruginosa*-based strategies are warranted to overcome challenges and advance clinical applications.
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