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Review
. 2010 Jun;13(3):57-66.
doi: 10.1016/j.drup.2010.02.001. Epub 2010 Mar 17.

Implication of microRNAs in drug resistance for designing novel cancer therapy

Fazlul H Sarkar  1 , Yiwei Li, Zhiwei Wang, Dejuan Kong, Shadan Ali
Affiliations
Review

Implication of microRNAs in drug resistance for designing novel cancer therapy

Fazlul H Sarkar et al. Drug Resist Updat. 2010 Jun.

Abstract

Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have received increasing attention in the field of cancer research. miRNAs play important roles in many normal biological processes; however, the aberrant miRNA expression and its correlation with the development and progression of cancers is an emerging field. Therefore, miRNAs could be used as biomarkers for diagnosis of cancer and prediction of prognosis. Importantly, some miRNAs could regulate the formation of cancer stem cells and the acquisition of epithelial-mesenchymal transition, which are critically associated with drug resistance. Moreover, some miRNAs could target genes related to drug sensitivity, resulting in the altered sensitivity of cancer cells to anti-cancer drugs. Emerging evidences have also shown that knock-down or re-expression of specific miRNAs by synthetic anti-sense oligonucleotides or pre-miRNAs could induce drug sensitivity, leading to increased inhibition of cancer cell growth, invasion, and metastasis. More importantly, recent studies have shown that natural agents including isoflavone, 3,3'-diindolylmethane, and (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate altered miRNA expression profiles, leading to an increased sensitivity of cancer cells to conventional therapeutics. These emerging results suggest that specific targeting of miRNAs by different approaches could open new avenues for cancer treatment through overcoming drug resistance and thereby improve the outcome of cancer therapy.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Biogenesis of miRNA and its effect on gene expression.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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