The Impacts of Lipocalin in Cancer
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2022-04-18
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Cholangiocarcinoma, CCA, is a cancer of the intrahepatic and the extrahepatic biliary epitheiun. It is often aggressive, clinically silent, and has a poor patient outcome, with a 10% 5-year survival rate across all SEER stages combined. Tumor-associated growth of new lymphatic vessels, also known as lymphangiogenesis, predicts unfavorable prognosis of CCA, and tumor metastasis to the draining lymph nodes (LN) is the primary indicator of adverse outcome. Lipocalin is a protein responsible for iron homeostasis, first found as a part of the innate immune system. Since its discovery, it has been found to have a role in cancer metastasis and growth. It sequesters intracellular iron that otherwise would cause damage to the cell. Often, lipocalin is used by cancerous cells to survive and proliferate. Although in certain cancers, lipocalin is a deterrent to cancer spread, in most cancers research, it is a factor that promotes its negative effects. This paper consolidates the numerous findings on lipocalin and its role in the body, focusing on the effects it has on cancer. We found that breast cancer, cholangiocarcinoma, and colon cancer are the most studied cancers regarding lipocalin and showed that lipocalin predominantly leads to increased tumor migration and proliferation. Additionally, although more research is required for definitive results, studies show that silencing lipocalin through various pathways can reduce the poor prognosis of cancer and overall, be a treatment plan for cancers. This will cause the cell to not be able to properly handle the intracellular concentration of iron and cause ferroptosis, also known as iron-induced apoptosis. Although promising, more research would be needed to make sure that the treatment is effective at targeting only tumor cells and killing them.
Description
Keywords
lipocalin, LCN2, lipocalin-2, lymph node, cholangiocarcinoma, CCA, breast cancer, colon cancer, mRNA, gene therapy, literature review, lymphatic, lymphatic endothelial cells, LEC, LECs, cancer, metastatic, NFKB, NF-KB, ERK1/2, iron, homeostasis, iron homeostasis, complex, mmp9, crispr, bile duct