Role and Therapeutic Targeting of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR Signaling Pathway in Skin Cancer: A Review of Current Status and Future Trends on Natural and Synthetic Agents Therapy

Abstract

The mammalian or mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) and associated phosphatidyl-inositiol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) pathways regulate cell growth, differentiation, migration, and survival, as well as angiogenesis and metabolism. Dysregulation of these pathways is frequently associated with genetic/epigenetic alterations and predicts poor treatment outcomes in a variety of human cancers including cutaneous malignancies like melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers. Recently, the enhanced understanding of the molecular and genetic basis of skin dysfunction in patients with skin cancers has provided a strong basis for the development of novel therapeutic strategies for these obdurate groups of skin cancers. This review summarizes recent advances in the roles of PI3K/Akt/mTOR and their targets in the development and progression of a broad spectrum of cutaneous cancers and discusses the current progress in preclinical and clinical studies for the development of PI3K/Akt/mTOR targeted therapies with nutraceuticals and synthetic small molecule inhibitors.

Keywords

• PI3K
• Akt
• mTOR
• skin cancers
• phytochemicals
• melanoma
• basal cell carcinoma
• squamous cell carcinoma
• Merkel cell carcinoma
• targeted therapy