Reactive oxygen species in tumor progression (original) (raw)

IMR Press / FBL / Volume 10 / Issue 2 / DOI: 10.2741/1667

Frontiers in Bioscience-Landmark (FBL) is published by IMR Press from Volume 26 Issue 5 (2021). Previous articles were published by another publisher on a subscription basis, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with Frontiers in Bioscience.

Article

Reactive oxygen species in tumor progression

Affiliation

1 Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA

Abstract

The generation of reactive oxygen radicals in mammalian cells profoundly affects numerous critical cellular functions, and the absence of efficient cellular detoxification mechanisms which remove these radicals can result in several human diseases. Growing evidence suggests that reactive oxygen species (ROS) within cells act as second messengers in intracellular signaling cascades which induce and maintain the oncogenic phenotype of cancer cells. ROS are tumorigenic by virtue of their ability to increase cell proliferation, survival, cellular migration, and also by inducing DNA damage leading to genetic lesions that initiate tumorigenicity and sustain subsequent tumor progression. However, it is also known that ROS can induce cellular senescence and cell death and can therefore function as anti-tumorigenic agents. Therefore, the mechanisms by which cells respond to reactive oxygen species depends on the molecular background of cell and tissues, the location of ROS production and the concentration of individual ROS species. Carcinoma cells produce ROS at elevated rates in vitro, and in vivo many tumors appear persistent to oxidative stress. Thus, the finding that a diet rich in antioxidants or the elimination of ROS by antioxidant compounds prevents the development of certain cancers provided the setting for subsequent investigation of the tumorigenic actions of reactive oxygen species. This review outlines the current knowledge on the various roles of ROS in tumor development and progression.

Keywords

ROS

Tumor

Cancer

Adhesion

Migration

Oxygen Radicals

Signal Transduction

Review

Front. Biosci. (Landmark Ed) Print ISSN 2768-6701 Electronic ISSN 2768-6698

Disclaimer

We use cookies on our website to ensure you get the best experience.
Read more about our cookies here