Cancer Stem Cells: From an Insight into the Basics to Recent Advances and Therapeutic Targeting

Cancer is characterized by an abnormal growth of the cells in an uncontrolled manner. These cells have the potential to invade and can eventually turn into malignancy, leading to highly fatal forms of tumor. Small subpopulations of cancer cells that are long-lived with the potential of excessive sel...

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Main Authors: Shweta Bisht, Manisha Nigam, Shyam S. Kunjwal, Plygun Sergey, Abhay Prakash Mishra, Javad Sharifi-Rad
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2022-01-01
Series:Stem Cells International
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/9653244
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author Shweta Bisht
Manisha Nigam
Shyam S. Kunjwal
Plygun Sergey
Abhay Prakash Mishra
Javad Sharifi-Rad
author_facet Shweta Bisht
Manisha Nigam
Shyam S. Kunjwal
Plygun Sergey
Abhay Prakash Mishra
Javad Sharifi-Rad
author_sort Shweta Bisht
collection DOAJ
description Cancer is characterized by an abnormal growth of the cells in an uncontrolled manner. These cells have the potential to invade and can eventually turn into malignancy, leading to highly fatal forms of tumor. Small subpopulations of cancer cells that are long-lived with the potential of excessive self-renewal and tumor formation are called cancer stem cells (CSCs) or cancer-initiating cells or tumor stem cells. CSCs can be found in tissues, such as breast, brain, lung, liver, ovary, and testis; however, their origin is still a matter of debate. These cells can differentiate and possess self-renewal capacity maintained by numerous intracellular signal transduction pathways, such as the Wnt/β-catenin signaling, Notch signaling, transforming growth factor-β signaling, and Hedgehog signaling. They can also contribute to numerous malignancies and are an important reason for tumor recurrence and metastasis because they are resistant to the known therapeutic strategies that mainly target the bulk of the tumor cells. This review contains collected and compiled information after analyzing published works of the last three decades. The goal was to gather information of recent breakthroughs related to CSCs, strategies to target CSCs’ niche (e.g., nanotechnology with tumor biology), and their signaling pathways for cancer therapy. Moreover, the role of metformin, an antidiabetic drug, acting as a chemotherapeutic agent on CSCs by inhibiting cellular transformation and its selective killing is also addressed.
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spelling doaj-art-643b2dbdfc1941ef8d505401df0791662025-08-20T03:34:25ZengWileyStem Cells International1687-96782022-01-01202210.1155/2022/9653244Cancer Stem Cells: From an Insight into the Basics to Recent Advances and Therapeutic TargetingShweta Bisht0Manisha Nigam1Shyam S. Kunjwal2Plygun Sergey3Abhay Prakash Mishra4Javad Sharifi-Rad5Department of BiochemistryDepartment of BiochemistryDepartment of ZoologyEuropean Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious DiseasesLaboratory of Biocontrol and Antimicrobial ResistanceFacultad de MedicinaCancer is characterized by an abnormal growth of the cells in an uncontrolled manner. These cells have the potential to invade and can eventually turn into malignancy, leading to highly fatal forms of tumor. Small subpopulations of cancer cells that are long-lived with the potential of excessive self-renewal and tumor formation are called cancer stem cells (CSCs) or cancer-initiating cells or tumor stem cells. CSCs can be found in tissues, such as breast, brain, lung, liver, ovary, and testis; however, their origin is still a matter of debate. These cells can differentiate and possess self-renewal capacity maintained by numerous intracellular signal transduction pathways, such as the Wnt/β-catenin signaling, Notch signaling, transforming growth factor-β signaling, and Hedgehog signaling. They can also contribute to numerous malignancies and are an important reason for tumor recurrence and metastasis because they are resistant to the known therapeutic strategies that mainly target the bulk of the tumor cells. This review contains collected and compiled information after analyzing published works of the last three decades. The goal was to gather information of recent breakthroughs related to CSCs, strategies to target CSCs’ niche (e.g., nanotechnology with tumor biology), and their signaling pathways for cancer therapy. Moreover, the role of metformin, an antidiabetic drug, acting as a chemotherapeutic agent on CSCs by inhibiting cellular transformation and its selective killing is also addressed.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/9653244
spellingShingle Shweta Bisht
Manisha Nigam
Shyam S. Kunjwal
Plygun Sergey
Abhay Prakash Mishra
Javad Sharifi-Rad
Cancer Stem Cells: From an Insight into the Basics to Recent Advances and Therapeutic Targeting
Stem Cells International
title Cancer Stem Cells: From an Insight into the Basics to Recent Advances and Therapeutic Targeting
title_full Cancer Stem Cells: From an Insight into the Basics to Recent Advances and Therapeutic Targeting
title_fullStr Cancer Stem Cells: From an Insight into the Basics to Recent Advances and Therapeutic Targeting
title_full_unstemmed Cancer Stem Cells: From an Insight into the Basics to Recent Advances and Therapeutic Targeting
title_short Cancer Stem Cells: From an Insight into the Basics to Recent Advances and Therapeutic Targeting
title_sort cancer stem cells from an insight into the basics to recent advances and therapeutic targeting
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/9653244
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