选择性靶向肿瘤干细胞药物的研究现状

Research status on the drugs for selectively targeting cancer stem cells

肿瘤干细胞(CSCs)在肿瘤起动和进展中起决定性作用,也是导致肿瘤转移、复发和常规治疗抵抗的根源。因此靶向和杀灭CSCs是根治肿瘤的关键,选择性靶向CSCs的药物可能成为一类新的抗肿瘤药物。近年研究证明,盐霉素、二甲双胍、萝卜硫素、戒酒硫、小分子化合物等能靶向并杀灭某种CSCs,这些药物在癌症治疗中可能具有良好应用前景。但这类药物应用于临床尚有许多问题需要解决。

Abstract：Cancer stem cells （CSCs） play a crucial role in the tumor initiation and progression, and are thought to be the root of cancer metastasis, recurrence and resistance to conventional treatments. Thus, targeting and killing CSCs is a key of the radical cancer therapy; and the agents selectively targeting CSCs may become a kind of new anticancer drugs. In recent years, it has been demonstrated that therapeutic agents, such as salinomycin, metformin, sulforaphane, disulfiram, small molecule compounds and so on, can target and kill some CSCs; therefore these stem cell-targeting agents may possess a favorable application prospect for improving cancer outcomes. However, many questions of these drugs applying to clinic should be resolved.