Na/K Pump and Beyond: Na/K-ATPase as a Modulator of Apoptosis and Autophagy
Cassiano Felippe Gonçalves-de-Albuquerque,
Adriana Ribeiro Silva,
Camila Ignácio da Silva,
Hugo Caire Castro-Faria-Neto,
Patrícia Burth
Affiliations
Cassiano Felippe Gonçalves-de-Albuquerque
Laboratório de Imunofarmacologia, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro RJ CEP 21040-900, Brazil
Adriana Ribeiro Silva
Laboratório de Imunofarmacologia, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro RJ CEP 21040-900, Brazil
Camila Ignácio da Silva
Laboratório de Enzimologia e Sinalização Celular, Departamento de Biologia Celular e Molecular, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói RJ CEP 24020-141, Brazil
Hugo Caire Castro-Faria-Neto
Laboratório de Imunofarmacologia, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro RJ CEP 21040-900, Brazil
Patrícia Burth
Laboratório de Enzimologia e Sinalização Celular, Departamento de Biologia Celular e Molecular, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói RJ CEP 24020-141, Brazil
Lung cancer is a leading cause of global cancer deaths. Na/K-ATPase has been studied as a target for cancer treatment. Cardiotonic steroids (CS) trigger intracellular signalling upon binding to Na/K-ATPase. Normal lung and tumour cells frequently express different pump isoforms. Thus, Na/K-ATPase is a powerful target for lung cancer treatment. Drugs targeting Na/K-ATPase may induce apoptosis and autophagy in transformed cells. We argue that Na/K-ATPase has a role as a potential target in chemotherapy in lung cancer treatment. We discuss the effects of Na/K-ATPase ligands and molecular pathways inducing deleterious effects on lung cancer cells, especially those leading to apoptosis and autophagy.
