Epi-drugs as triple-negative breast cancer treatment

Epigenomics. 2020 Apr;12(8):725-742. doi: 10.2217/epi-2019-0312. Epub 2020 May 12.

Abstract

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) types with poor prognosis are due to the absence of estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors and HEGFR-2. The lack of suitable therapy for TNBC has led the research community to turn toward epigenetic regulation and its protagonists that can modulate certain oncogenes and tumor suppressors. This has opened an important new field of therapy using epi-drugs, in preclinical and clinical trials. The epi-drugs are natural or synthetic molecules capable of inhibiting or modulating the activity of epigenetic proteins such as DNA methyltransferases, modulating the expression of interferon microRNAs, as well as histone methyltransferases, demethylases, acetyltransferases and deacetylases. This review investigated the epi-drugs used in the treatment of TNBC.

Keywords: DNMT inhibitors; HAT inhibitors; epi-drugs; histone deacetylase inhibitors; histone demethylase inhibitors; histone methyltransferase inhibitors; microRNA; therapy; triple-negative breast cancer.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Biomarkers, Tumor*
  • DNA Methylation / drug effects
  • Epigenesis, Genetic / drug effects*
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / drug effects*
  • Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors / pharmacology
  • Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors / therapeutic use
  • Histone Methyltransferases / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Molecular Targeted Therapy
  • Oncogenes
  • Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms / etiology*
  • Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms / pathology

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors
  • Histone Methyltransferases