Open Access

Proteolysis is the most fundamental property of malignancy and its inhibition may be used therapeutically (Review)

  • Authors:
    • Marzena Wyganowska‑Świątkowska
    • Mateusz Tarnowski
    • Daniel Murtagh
    • Ewa Skrzypczak‑Jankun
    • Jerzy Jankun
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: November 7, 2018     https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2018.3983
  • Pages: 15-25
  • Copyright: © Wyganowska‑Świątkowska et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

The mortality rates of cancer patients decreased by ~1.5% per year between 2001 and 2015, although the decrease depends on patient sex, ethnic group and type of malignancy. Cancer remains a significant global health problem, requiring a search for novel treatments. The most common property of malignant tumors is their capacity to invade adjacent tissue and to metastasize, and this cancer aggressiveness is contingent on overexpression of proteolytic enzymes. The components of the plasminogen activation system (PAS) and the metalloproteinase family [mainly matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)] are overexpressed in malignant tumors, driving the local invasion, metastasis and angiogenesis. This is the case for numerous types of cancer, such as breast, colon, prostate and oral carcinoma, among others. Present chemotherapeutics agents typically attack all dividing cells; however, for future therapeutic agents to be clinically successful, they need to be highly selective for a specific protein(s) and act on the cancerous tissues without adverse systemic effects. Inhibition of proteolysis in cancerous tissue has the ability to attenuate tumor invasion, angiogenesis and migration. For that purpose, inhibiting both PAS and MMPs may be another approach, since the two groups of enzymes are overexpressed in cancer. In the present review, the roles and new findings on PAS and MMP families in cancer formation, growth and possible treatments are discussed.
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January-2019
Volume 43 Issue 1

Print ISSN: 1107-3756
Online ISSN:1791-244X

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Spandidos Publications style
Wyganowska‑Świątkowska M, Tarnowski M, Murtagh D, Skrzypczak‑Jankun E and Jankun J: Proteolysis is the most fundamental property of malignancy and its inhibition may be used therapeutically (Review). Int J Mol Med 43: 15-25, 2019.
APA
Wyganowska‑Świątkowska, M., Tarnowski, M., Murtagh, D., Skrzypczak‑Jankun, E., & Jankun, J. (2019). Proteolysis is the most fundamental property of malignancy and its inhibition may be used therapeutically (Review). International Journal of Molecular Medicine, 43, 15-25. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2018.3983
MLA
Wyganowska‑Świątkowska, M., Tarnowski, M., Murtagh, D., Skrzypczak‑Jankun, E., Jankun, J."Proteolysis is the most fundamental property of malignancy and its inhibition may be used therapeutically (Review)". International Journal of Molecular Medicine 43.1 (2019): 15-25.
Chicago
Wyganowska‑Świątkowska, M., Tarnowski, M., Murtagh, D., Skrzypczak‑Jankun, E., Jankun, J."Proteolysis is the most fundamental property of malignancy and its inhibition may be used therapeutically (Review)". International Journal of Molecular Medicine 43, no. 1 (2019): 15-25. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2018.3983