Title:An Overview of the Dichotomous Role of Microbiota in Cancer Progression and Management
Volume: 25
Issue: 1
Author(s): Pooja Jain*, Sradhanjali Mohapatra, Uzma Farooq, Nazia Hassan, Mohd. Aamir Mirza*Zeenat Iqbal*
Affiliation:
- Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (SPER), Jamia Hamdard, New
Delhi, 110030, India
- Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (SPER), Jamia Hamdard, New
Delhi, 110030, India
- Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (SPER), Jamia Hamdard, New
Delhi, 110030, India
Keywords:
Oral microbiota, dysbiosis, oral squamous cell carcinoma, colorectal cancer, angiogenesis, cellular apoptosis, chemotherapeutic drug efficacy.
Abstract: It is a well-known fact that cancer is considered the second leading cause of mortality
across the globe. Although the human oral cavity and intestine are the natural habitat of thousands
of microbes, dysbiosis results in malignancies, such as oral squamous cell carcinoma and colorectal
cancer. Amongst the intestinal microbes, H. pylori is a deadly carcinogen. Also, causative
pathogens for the development of pancreatic and colorectal cancer are found in the oral cavity,
such as Fusobacterium nucleatum and Porphyromonas gingivalis. Many periodontopathic micro-
organisms, like Streptococcus sp., Peptostreptococcus sp., Prevotella sp., Fusobacterium sp.,
Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Capnocytophaga gingivalis, strongly have an impact on the development
of oral cancers. Three basic mechanisms are involved in pathogen-mediated cancer development,
like chronic inflammation-mediated angiogenesis, inhibition of cellular apoptosis, and release
of carcinogenic by-products. Microbiota has a dichotomous role to play in cancer, i.e., microbiota
can be used for cancer management too. Shreds of evidence are there to support the fact that
microbiota enhances the chemotherapeutic drug efficacy. This review presents the possible mechanism
of the oncogenic effect of microbiota with emphasis on the oral microbiome and also attempts
to explain the intricate role of microbiota in cancer management.