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Pyroptosis, a target for cancer treatment?

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Abstract

Pyroptosis is a newly discovered form of programmed cell death mediated by the gasdermin protein, that is accompanied by inflammation and immune response. A growing body of evidence suggests that pyroptosis is closely related to cancer, and it is becoming a new cancer research topic. Studies have suggested that different cancer cells activate pyroptosis in different ways and that the effects of pyroptosis vary in different cancer backgrounds. In this article, we briefly introduce the definition, characteristics, and activation pathways of pyroptosis. Then we review the complex effects of pyroptosis on cancer development, which generally include inhibition of cancer cell viability, impacts on the invasion and migration of cancer cells, improvement of antitumor immunity, and enhancement of chemotherapy sensitivity. We also discuss drugs and compounds that can induce pyroptosis, as well as the interaction between pyroptosis and apoptosis. Elucidating the mechanisms of the complex effects of pyroptosis is likely to pave the way for therapeutic approaches for cancer in the future.

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Data Availability

The data used for graphing and tabulation in this review are all from references.

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Funding

High-level hospital fosters grant from Fujian Provincial Hospital (No. 2019HSJJ06).

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Author notes

  1. Ying Huang and Jian-Wei Wang contribute equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410008, People’s Republic of China

    Ying Huang, Jie Tang & Guo Wang

  2. Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Central South University, Hunan Key Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410078, People’s Republic of China

    Ying Huang, Jie Tang & Guo Wang

  3. Engineering Research Center of Applied Technology of Pharmacogenomics, Ministry of Education, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410078, People’s Republic of China

    Ying Huang, Jie Tang & Guo Wang

  4. National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, 87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, People’s Republic of China

    Ying Huang, Jie Tang & Guo Wang

  5. Guangdong Xiangxue Life Sciences, Ltd, 2 Jinfengyuan Road, Science Park, GuangzhouGuangdong, 510530, China

    Jiao Huang

  6. Department of Thoracic Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, 87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410008, People’s Republic of China

    Lu Tang

  7. Institute of Clinical Medicine of the First Affiliated Hospital, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, People’s Republic of China

    Yun-Hua Xu

  8. Institute for Inheritance-Based Innovation of Chinese Medicine, School of Pharmaceutical Science, Health Science Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, People’s Republic of China

    Jian-Wei Wang

  9. Department of Pharmacy, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Shengli Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350001, People’s Republic of China

    Hong Sun

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  1. Ying Huang
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  2. Jian-Wei Wang
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  3. Jiao Huang
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  4. Lu Tang
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  7. Jie Tang
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  8. Guo Wang
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YH contributed to the drawing, as well as to the writing of the manuscript; J-WW contributed to the article frame and literature review; JH provided comments on the review framework, drawing, and review content; LT and Y-HX collectively contributed to making suggestions on writing content; HS given many suggestions on the amendment of the entire manuscript; GW and JT collectively revised the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Jie Tang or Guo Wang.

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Huang, Y., Wang, JW., Huang, J. et al. Pyroptosis, a target for cancer treatment?. Apoptosis 27, 1–13 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10495-021-01703-y

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