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Targeting vimentin: a multifaceted approach to combatting cancer metastasis and drug resistance

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Abstract

This comprehensive review explores vimentin as a pivotal therapeutic target in cancer treatment, with a primary focus on mitigating metastasis and overcoming drug resistance. Vimentin, a key player in cancer progression, is intricately involved in processes such as epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and resistance mechanisms to standard cancer therapies. The review delves into diverse vimentin inhibition strategies. Precision tools, including antibodies and nanobodies, selectively neutralize vimentin's pro-tumorigenic effects. DNA and RNA aptamers disrupt vimentin-associated signaling pathways through their adaptable binding properties. Innovative approaches, such as vimentin-targeted vaccines and microRNAs (miRNAs), harness the immune system and post-transcriptional regulation to combat vimentin-expressing cancer cells. By dissecting vimentin inhibition strategies across these categories, this review provides a comprehensive overview of anti-vimentin therapeutics in cancer treatment. It underscores the growing recognition of vimentin as a pivotal therapeutic target in cancer and presents a diverse array of inhibitors, including antibodies, nanobodies, DNA and RNA aptamers, vaccines, and miRNAs. These multifaceted approaches hold substantial promise for tackling metastasis and overcoming drug resistance, collectively presenting new avenues for enhanced cancer therapy.

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This is a review paper, and no new data is generated. All previously published data are cited in the manuscript.

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Funding

The authors appreciate the financial support of the Vice-presidency for Research of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan (Grant No. 3400778 and 199438).

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  1. Aliye Tabatabaee and Behjat Nafari contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, 8174673461, Iran

    Aliye Tabatabaee, Behjat Nafari, Armin Farhang, Amirali Hariri & Mina Mirian

  2. Department of Genetics and Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Istanbul Okan University, Istanbul, 34959, Türkiye

    Arezoo Khosravi

  3. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Istinye University, Istanbul, 34396, Türkiye

    Ali Zarrabi

  4. Department of Research Analytics, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, 600 077, India

    Ali Zarrabi

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Contributions

Conceptualization: A.Z. and M.M.; investigation: A.T., B.N., A.F., A.H.; resources: A.K. and M.M.; writing—original draft preparation: A.T., B.N., A.F., A.H.; writing—review and editing, A.K., A.Z., M.M.; supervision: M.M. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Tabatabaee, A., Nafari, B., Farhang, A. et al. Targeting vimentin: a multifaceted approach to combatting cancer metastasis and drug resistance. Cancer Metastasis Rev 43, 363–377 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10555-023-10154-7

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