Maria Luiza Mukai Franciosi

Purinergic signaling and tumor microenvironment in cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer incidence in the world female population, and it has become a public health problem worldwide. Several factors are involved in this type of cancer, including intrinsic factors related to the inflammatory process, such as extracellular nucleotides and adenosine-components of the purinergic system. The present review focuses on the role of the purinergic system in cervical cancer, especially regarding the interaction of extracellular nucleotides with their respective receptors expressed in the tumor microenvironment of cervical cancer and their role in the host immune response. The high concentrations of extracellular nucleotides in the tumor microenvironment of cervical cancer interfere in the regulation, proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis of cancer cells of the uterine cervix through different P1 and P2 receptor subtypes. Such diverse cellular processes that are mediated by adenosine triphosphate and adenosine across the tumor microenvironment and that also have effects on host immune defense will be reviewed here in detail.

Inflammatory profile in cervical cancer: influence of purinergic signaling and possible therapeutic targets

Cervical cancer is the fourth most prevalent type of cancer in the world. The tumor microenvironment of this disease is associated with the production of several cytokines, pro and anti-inflammatory, and with the purinergic signaling system so that changes in these components are observed throughout the pathological process. The aim of this review is to understand the pathophysiology of cervical cancer based on immunological processes and purinergic signaling pathways, in addition to suggesting possibilities of therapeutic targets. To make up this review, studies covering topics of cervical cancer, inflammation and purinergic system were selected from the Pubmed. The main pro-inflammatory cytokines involved are IL-17, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-18, and among the anti-inflammatory ones, IL-10 and TGF-β stand out. As new therapeutic targets, P2X7 and A2A receptors have been suggested, since blocking P2X7 would lead to reduced release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and blocking A2A would increase activation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes in the context of tumor combat. The association between the immune system and the purinergic system, already known in other types of disease, also presents possibilities for a better understanding of biomolecular processes and therapeutic possibilities in the context of cervical cancer.