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Advances in Targeted Autophagy Modulation Strategies to Treat Cancer and Associated Treatment-Induced Cardiotoxicity

Lauren A Ling1,2, Asma Boukhalfa1, Andrew H Kung1

  • 1Molecular Cardiology Research Institute, Tufts Medical Center, 800 Washington Street, #80, Boston, MA 02111, USA.

Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)
|May 28, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Autophagy modulation shows promise for treating cancer treatment-induced cardiotoxicity. Research focuses on targeted strategies to protect the heart without compromising cancer therapy, aiding survivors.

Area of Science:

  • Biomedical Sciences
  • Cellular Biology
  • Cardiovascular Research

Background:

  • Autophagy, a fundamental cellular process, is crucial for maintaining homeostasis and is implicated in various human diseases.
  • Cardiovascular dysfunction (cardiotoxicity) is a significant clinical challenge for cancer patients and survivors, linked to autophagy dysregulation.
  • Modulating autophagy is being explored as a therapeutic approach for both cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent advances in targeted autophagy modulation strategies for treating cardiotoxicity during cancer treatment.
  • To explore interdisciplinary approaches for translating autophagy discoveries into clinical applications.
  • To discuss the safe and effective use of autophagy modulation as a cardioprotective strategy.

Main Methods:

  • Focus on non-small molecule autophagy modulators for enhanced targeted therapy.
  • Review of nanomedicine applications in autophagy modulation and monitoring.
  • Discussion of in vitro models and experimental designs for clinical translation.

Main Results:

  • Highlighting novel strategies for targeted autophagy modulation.
  • Identifying potential of nanomedicine in managing autophagy-related cardiotoxicity.
  • Emphasizing the need for rigorous experimentation to bridge basic research and clinical practice.

Conclusions:

  • Targeted autophagy modulation offers a promising avenue for cardioprotection during cancer therapy.
  • Interdisciplinary approaches, including nanomedicine, are key to developing effective strategies.
  • Further research and clinical translation are essential to optimize autophagy modulation for cancer patients.
Keywords:
apoptosisautophagycardio-oncologycardioprotectionnanotechnology

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