Experimental and Molecular Medicine (Aug 2022)

MicroRNA-375 is a therapeutic target for castration-resistant prostate cancer through the PTPN4/STAT3 axis

  • Junqing Gan,
  • Shan Liu,
  • Yu Zhang,
  • Liangzi He,
  • Lu Bai,
  • Ran Liao,
  • Juan Zhao,
  • Madi Guo,
  • Wei Jiang,
  • Jiade Li,
  • Qi Li,
  • Guannan Mu,
  • Yangjiazi Wu,
  • Xinling Wang,
  • Xingli Zhang,
  • Dan Zhou,
  • Huimin Lv,
  • Zhengfeng Wang,
  • Yanqiao Zhang,
  • Cheng Qian,
  • MeiYan Feng,
  • Hui Chen,
  • Qingwei Meng,
  • Xiaoyi Huang

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s12276-022-00837-6
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 54, no. 8
pp. 1290 – 1305

Abstract

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Prostate cancer: stem cell treatment targets microRNA A microRNA shown to promote prostate cancer growth can be targeted through a treatment derived from stem cells. Prostate cancer is lethal for many men, and its growth is promoted by testosterone. However, some “castration-resistant” strains keep growing even after treatments that reduce testosterone levels. Xiaoyi Huang at Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, China, and co-workers examined the role of microRNA-375 in the progression of castration-resistant prostate cancer. They found that microRNA-375 was over-expressed in cancer tissue samples and promoted tumor growth by interfering with a specific signaling pathway. The team applied a treatment comprising extracellular vesicles called exosomes that are derived from human stem cells and loaded with molecules that suppress microRNA-375. The treatment inhibited microRNA-375 and thereby repressed the cancer growth, while also reducing the cancer’s resistance to the testosterone-blocking drug enzalutamide.