The Inflammatory Profile of the Tumor Microenvironment, Orchestrated by Cyclooxygenase-2, Promotes Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition

Frontiers in Oncology

Viviana P. Montecinos¹  Fernán Gómez-Valenzuela¹  Enrico Escobar²  Ricardo Pérez-Tomás³ 

[1] Department of Hematology‐Oncology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile;Department of Oral Pathology and Medicine, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile;Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapy - Bellvitge, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain;

关键词: tumor microenvironment;    cyclooxygenase-2;    epithelial-mesenchymal transition;    cancer;    inflammation;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fonc.2021.686792

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

The tumor microenvironment (TME) corresponds to a complex and dynamic interconnection between the extracellular matrix and malignant cells and their surrounding stroma composed of immune and mesenchymal cells. The TME has constant cellular communication through cytokines that sustain an inflammatory profile, which favors tumor progression, angiogenesis, cell invasion, and metastasis. Although the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) represents a relevant metastasis-initiating event that promotes an invasive phenotype in malignant epithelial cells, its relationship with the inflammatory profile of the TME is poorly understood. Previous evidence strongly suggests that cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) overexpression, a pro-inflammatory enzyme related to chronic unresolved inflammation, is associated with common EMT-signaling pathways. This review article summarizes how COX-2 overexpression, within the context of the TME, orchestrates the EMT process and promotes initial metastatic-related events.

【 授权许可】

Unknown