BioCentury
ARTICLE | Preclinical News

Researchers suggest inhibiting NOX4 could treat cancer

August 8, 2017 12:18 AM UTC

In a paper published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, researchers at the University of Southampton showed that inhibiting NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4) in cancer-associated fibroblasts can abrogate the tumor-promoting function of these cells. The results suggest NOX4 could be targeted to treat multiple cancers.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts result from transforming growth factor (TGF) beta-induced differentiation of fibroblasts into "activated" myofibroblasts and have been associated with poor survival in cancer patients. The researchers found that NOX4 expression was upregulated in tumor samples from patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN), esophageal cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer and lung cancer. This upregulation correlated with a TGF beta-activated myofibroblast gene signature, suggesting that NOX4 is primarily expressed by myofibroblastic cancer-associated fibroblasts in tumors...

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NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4)