Research progress on the nanodrug mediated regulation of tumor fibroblast-like cells for tumor therapy

作者：Shuhui Zhang, Huiru Yang, Ying Zhao, Yiye Li, Xiao Zhao, Hai Wang, Tianjiao Ji, Guangjun Nie · 发表于：Chinese Science Bulletin (Chinese Version) · 年份：2023 · DOI：10.1360/tb-2023-0588 · 被引用次数：6 · 研究领域：Circular RNAs in diseases

Tumor tissues have a complex microenvironment containing various cellular and non-cellular components. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are the largest population in the stroma. CAFs can originate from many cell types, including native fibroblasts, stellate cells, epithelial cells, endothelial cells, and mesenchymal stem cells. We think the more precise description of CAFs is “tumor fibroblast-like cells” (TFLCs). TFLCs play pivotal roles in shaping the tumor microenvironment as the primary stromal cells through secreting various growth factors and extracellular matrix. For example, TFLCs secret vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) to regulate tumor angiogenesis, CXCL12 to upregulate anti-apoptotic proteins like Bcl-2 and survivin expression in tumor cells. TFLCs also establish physiological barriers within tumor tissues. For instance, TFLCs promote fabricating tumor extracellular matrix by secreting abundant collagens and fibronectin, which hinders the infiltration of immune cells and the penetration of anti-tumor drugs, and therefore impeding the efficacy of chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Consequently, modulating TFLCs can contribute to effectively suppressing tumor development and improving treatment outcomes. Due to the abundant distribution of TFLCs around tumor blood vessels, nanomedicines may first come into contact with TFLCs when they permeate from tumor blood vessels. Therefore, this provides relatively convenient conditions for utilizing nanomedicines to ...