Revolutionizing colorectal cancer treatment: unleashing the potential of miRNAs in targeting cancer stem cells

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a significant contributor to cancer mortality worldwide, and the presence of cancer stem cells (CSC) represents a major challenge for achieving effective treatment. miRNAs have emerged as critical regulators of gene expression, and recent studies have highlighted their role in regulating stemness and therapeutic resistance in CRC stem cells. This review highlights the mechanisms of CSC development, therapy resistance and the potential of miRNAs as therapeutic targets for CRC. It emphasizes the promise of miRNAs as a novel approach to CRC treatment and calls for further research to explore effective miRNA-based therapies and strategies for delivering miRNAs to CSCs in vivo.

Keywords::

• cancer stem cells
• colorectal cancer
• miRNA
• miRNA-based therapies
• miRNA delivery
• stemness
• targeted therapy
• therapy resistance

Supplementary data

To view the supplementary data that accompany this paper please visit the journal website at: www.futuremedicine.com/doi/suppl/10.2217/fon-2023-0426

Author contributions

GYO is the first author and contributed mainly to the literature review, data analysis, and manuscript writing. JA-A, SK, SB, MKA, EAA and CS-T assisted with the technical expertise and contributed to the manuscript writing. SRAR is the corresponding author, provided editing, overall guidance and critical revisions.

Financial disclosure

This work was funded by a Research University Grant (1001/CIPPT.8012325) by the Universiti Sains Malaysia. The first author was funded by the Graduate Fellowship USM 1/2022. The authors have no financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending or royalties.

Competing interests disclosure

The authors have no competing interests or relevant affiliations with any organization or entity with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, stock ownership or options and expert testimony.

Writing disclosure

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This work was funded by a Research University Grant (1001/CIPPT.8012325) by the Universiti Sains Malaysia. The first author was funded by the Graduate Fellowship USM 1/2022. The authors have no financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending or royalties.