Targeting steroid hormone receptors for anti-cancer therapy

Steroid Hormone Receptors (SHRs) when bound to its ligand can act as transcription factors, which are responsible for transcription of important genes via hormone responsive element in our genome. Many studies have revealed the molecular mechanisms involved with SHRs. Cancer specific aberrant expression pattern of SHR and variation in their mechanism created an opportunity to specifically target SHRs for developing highly effective anti-cancer therapeutics. Further, these receptors can be targeted using different nanodelivery systems thus proving to be a potent target. The anticancer nanodelivery system can selectively target cancer cells due to the newly discovered aberrant nature of SHRs in cancer making it unique from other membrane bound receptors that are relatively more easily accessible as these are mostly overexpressed on the surface of the cells. One such interesting receptor which is present in the cytoplasm of the cells and ubiquitously expressed in both cancer and non-cancer cells is glucocorticoid receptor (GR). GR as studied earlier behaves in a unique way in cancer cells which facilitates the nanodelivery system including small molecules to selectively target cytoplasmic GR and hence makes the anticancer therapeutics more precise in its own way. Here, we will summarize the knowledge of SHR providing information about its role in its molecular mechanisms in cells and mostly to dig into its anticancer therapeutic roles in cancer cells. Most importantly how the lipid nanoformulation can modulate the SHRs ligand binding domain in cancer therapeutics is also discussed. This also deals with all the SHRs including estrogen, progesterone, mineralocorticoid receptors and androgen receptors.