The presence of the glycosaminoglycan hyaluronan in the extracellular matrix of tissues is the result of the cooperative synthesis of several resident cells, that is, macrophages and tumor and stromal cells. Any change in hyaluronan concentration or dimension leads to a modification in stiffness and cellular response through receptors on the plasma membrane. Hyaluronan has an effect on all cancer cell behaviors, such as evasion of apoptosis, limitless replicative potential, sustained angiogenesis, and metastasis. It is noteworthy that hyaluronan metabolism can be dramatically altered by growth factors and matrikines during inflammation, as well as by the metabolic homeostasis of cells. The regulation of HA deposition and its dimensions are pivotal for tumor progression and cancer patient prognosis. Nevertheless, because of all the factors involved, modulating hyaluronan metabolism could be tough. Several commercial drugs have already been described as potential or effective modulators; however, deeper investigations are needed to study their possible side effects. Moreover, other matrix molecules could be identified and targeted as upstream regulators of synthetic or degrading enzymes. Finally, co-cultures of cancer, fibroblasts, and immune cells could reveal potential new targets among secreted factors.

Hyaluronan in the Cancer Cells Microenvironment

Evgenia Karousou
Co-primo
Writing – Review & Editing
;
Arianna Parnigoni
Co-primo
Data Curation
;
Paola Moretto
Secondo
Data Curation
;
Alberto Passi
Funding Acquisition
;
Manuela Viola
Penultimo
Conceptualization
;
Davide Vigetti
Ultimo
Project Administration
2023-01-01

Abstract

The presence of the glycosaminoglycan hyaluronan in the extracellular matrix of tissues is the result of the cooperative synthesis of several resident cells, that is, macrophages and tumor and stromal cells. Any change in hyaluronan concentration or dimension leads to a modification in stiffness and cellular response through receptors on the plasma membrane. Hyaluronan has an effect on all cancer cell behaviors, such as evasion of apoptosis, limitless replicative potential, sustained angiogenesis, and metastasis. It is noteworthy that hyaluronan metabolism can be dramatically altered by growth factors and matrikines during inflammation, as well as by the metabolic homeostasis of cells. The regulation of HA deposition and its dimensions are pivotal for tumor progression and cancer patient prognosis. Nevertheless, because of all the factors involved, modulating hyaluronan metabolism could be tough. Several commercial drugs have already been described as potential or effective modulators; however, deeper investigations are needed to study their possible side effects. Moreover, other matrix molecules could be identified and targeted as upstream regulators of synthetic or degrading enzymes. Finally, co-cultures of cancer, fibroblasts, and immune cells could reveal potential new targets among secreted factors.
2023
2023
hyaluronan; soluble factors; ECM-extracellular matrix
Karousou, Evgenia; Parnigoni, Arianna; Moretto, Paola; Passi, ALBERTO GIUSEPPE; Viola, Manuela; Vigetti, Davide
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11383/2147091
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