Title:miRNAs Delivery for Cancer-associated Fibroblasts’ Activation and Drug
Resistance in Cancer Microenvironment
Volume: 24
Issue: 3
Author(s): Sara Anajafi, Mahdi Paryan, Amineh Khoshnazar, Masoud Soleimani and Samira Mohammadi-Yeganeh*
Affiliation:
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Medical Nanotechnology and Tissue Engineering Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Keywords:
miRNA, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF), tumor microenvironment, signaling pathways, drug delivery, drug resistance.
Abstract: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) as a major component of cancer stroma contribute to
diverse procedures of most solid tumors and might be a targeted cancer therapy approach. Their specified
features, related signaling pathways, distinct biomarkers, and sub-populations need to be deciphered.
There is a need for CAF extraction or induction for in vitro investigations. Some miRNAs could
activate CAF-like phenotype and they also interfere in CAF-mediated drug resistance, aggressiveness,
and metastatic behaviors of several cancer cell types. Due to the complex relevance of miRNA and
CAFs, these non-coding oligonucleotides may serve as attractive scope for anti-cancer targeted therapies,
but the lack of an efficient delivery system is still a major hurdle. Here, we have summarized the
investigated information on CAF features, isolation, and induction procedures, and highlighted the
miRNA-CAF communications, providing special insight into nano-delivery systems.