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Targeting Cancer Stem Cells by Phytochemicals: a Multimodal Approach to Colorectal Cancer

  • Molecular Biology (S Anant, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Colorectal Cancer Reports

Abstract

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) exist within a tumor as a rare subpopulation, with the capacity of self-renewal and the ability to differentiate into heterogeneous population of cancer cells. CSCs are increasingly being implicated in tumor recurrence thereby further augmenting the menace of the malignant disease. Characterization of CSCs has unearthed their pivotal role in all the hallmarks of cancer including tumorigenesis, angiogenesis, metastasis and drug resistance, thereby designating cancer as a “stem cell disease.” Here, we discuss the limitations of current therapeutic strategies that spare CSCs thereby failing to achieve complete cure of colorectal cancer, and elucidate the role of multimodal CSC-targeted treatment strategies, using natural phytochemicals and their derivatives. With emerging evidences identifying the molecular targets of phytochemicals in colorectal CSCs, development of better therapeutic strategies uprooting CSCs, the root of all evils, can be envisaged.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the financial supports from CSIR, UGC, DBT postdoctoral program, and DST, Govt. of India.

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Conflict of Interest

Shravanti Mukherjee, Shilpi Saha, Argha Manna, Minakshi Mazumdar, Samik Chakraborty, Shrutarshi Paul, and Tanya Das declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Molecular Medicine, Bose Institute, P-1/12, Calcutta Improvement Trust Scheme VII M, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700054, India

    Shravanti Mukherjee, Shilpi Saha, Argha Manna, Minakshi Mazumdar, Samik Chakraborty, Shrutarshi Paul & Tanya Das

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  1. Shravanti Mukherjee
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  2. Shilpi Saha
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  3. Argha Manna
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  6. Shrutarshi Paul
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  7. Tanya Das
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Correspondence to Tanya Das.

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Mukherjee, S., Saha, S., Manna, A. et al. Targeting Cancer Stem Cells by Phytochemicals: a Multimodal Approach to Colorectal Cancer. Curr Colorectal Cancer Rep 10, 431–441 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11888-014-0251-4

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