Journal of Isfahan Medical School

Journal of Isfahan Medical School

Autophagy and Apoptosis Crosstalk in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression

Document Type : Review Article

Authors
Homeyra Seydi 1
Shukoofeh Torabi 2
Roya Ramezankhani 2
Bahareh Shokoohian 3
Faezeh Shekari 4
Massoud Vosough 5
1 PhD Student in Developmental Biology, Department of Regenerative Medicine, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, The Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran
2 PhD Student in Applied Cell Sciences, Department of Regenerative Medicine, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, The Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran
3 PhD Student in Medical Biotechnology, Department of Regenerative Medicine, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, The Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran
4 Assistant professor, Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, The Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran
5 Associate Professor, Department of Regenerative Medicine, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, The Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran
10.22122/jims.v39i628.13994
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer and the third cause of cancer-related death worldwide based on a recent update of Globocan in 2020. The induction of programmed cell death (apoptosis) in tumor cells is one of the main targets of conventional therapies in cancer. One of the key mechanisms that impacts tumor cells apoptotic response is autophagy. Autophagy is a conserved lysosome-dependent degradation process that aids in the maintenance of cell homeostasis and metabolic compatibility. Apoptosis and autophagy are two main processes in controlling cell death and survival. Enhanced autophagy at various stages of HCC is related to increased tumor cells survival and malignancy development, allowing cancer cells to evade apoptosis. Various studies that investigated the effect of autophagy inhibition on apoptosis induction in HCC cells indicated that apoptosis inducers have a stronger therapeutic impact after autophagy inhibition. In this study, the crosstalk between autophagy and apoptosis in cells survival, as well as targeted alterations in the balance between these processes in HCC therapy are investigated.
Keywords
Liver neoplasms
Hepatocellular carcinoma
Apoptosis
Autophagy
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  • Receive Date 13 March 2021
  • Accept Date 06 April 2022