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Ion transporters: emerging agents for anticancer therapy

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An Erratum to this article was published on 20 September 2022

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Abstract

Natural ion channels are pore-forming proteins that allow ions to pass through biomembranes, playing pivotal roles in almost all facets of cellular physiological functions. Biomimetic ion transporters were initially investigated for the purpose of treating life-threatening channelopathies. Recent studies have indicated that membrane-active synthetic ionophores possess desirable anticancer bioactivity against diverse cancer cell lines by disturbing intracellular ion homeostasis, triggering oxidative stress, and inducing apoptosis in tumors. Recent progress on ionophore-related antitumor therapeutics is comprehensively summarized in this review, including the molecular design principles, functional mechanisms, and characterization methods. Finally, we conclude this review by discussing the future opportunities and challenges in this field. It is anticipated that this review will provide an existing panoramic sketch and future directions toward the construction of novel ion transporters with simplified preparation procedures, enhanced biocompatibility, and desirable anti-proliferative activities, which may further accelerate their therapeutic applications in clinical treatments.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (22161142015, 22105056) and the National Key R&D Program of China (2020YFA0907003, 2020YFA0908501).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China

    Tengfei Yan, Xin Zheng, Shengda Liu & Yingping Zou

  2. College of Material, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Organosilicon Chemistry and Material Technology, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Organosilicon Material Technology of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121, China

    Tengfei Yan, Xin Zheng, Shengda Liu & Junqiu Liu

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  1. Tengfei Yan
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  2. Xin Zheng
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Correspondence to Junqiu Liu.

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The online version of the original article can be found at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11426-022-1393-1

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Yan, T., Zheng, X., Liu, S. et al. Ion transporters: emerging agents for anticancer therapy. Sci. China Chem. 65, 1265–1278 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11426-022-1258-4

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