Targeting Mitochondria for Cancer Therapy

Overview

Journal Nat Rev Drug Discov

Specialty Pharmacology

Date 2010 May 15

PMID 20467424

Citations 546

Authors

Simone Fulda

Lorenzo Galluzzi

Guido Kroemer

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Mitochondria are the cells' powerhouse, but also their suicidal weapon store. Dozens of lethal signal transduction pathways converge on mitochondria to cause the permeabilization of the mitochondrial outer membrane, leading to the cytosolic release of pro-apoptotic proteins and to the impairment of the bioenergetic functions of mitochondria. The mitochondrial metabolism of cancer cells is deregulated owing to the use of glycolytic intermediates, which are normally destined for oxidative phosphorylation, in anabolic reactions. Activation of the cell death machinery in cancer cells by inhibiting tumour-specific alterations of the mitochondrial metabolism or by stimulating mitochondrial membrane permeabilization could therefore be promising therapeutic approaches.

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