MicroRNAs as therapeutic targets in breast cancer metastasis

Drug Deliv Transl Res. 2022 May;12(5):1029-1046. doi: 10.1007/s13346-021-00999-2. Epub 2021 May 13.

Abstract

Breast cancer is a complex disease with multiple risk factors involved in its pathogenesis. Among these factors, microRNAs are considered for playing a fundamental role in the development and progression of malignant breast tumors. In recent years, various studies have demonstrated that several microRNAs exhibit increased or decreased expression in metastatic breast cancer, acting as indicators of metastatic potential in body fluids and tissue samples. The identification of these microRNA expression patterns could prove instrumental for the development of novel therapeutic molecules that either mimic or inhibit microRNA action. Additionally, an efficient delivery system mediated by viral vectors, nonviral carriers, or scaffold biomaterials is a prerequisite for implementing microRNA-based therapies; therefore, this review attempts to highlight essential microRNA molecules involved in the metastatic process of breast cancer and discuss recent advances in microRNA-based therapeutic approaches with potential future applications to the treatment sequence of breast cancer.

Keywords: Breast cancer; Metastasis; MicroRNA; Vector.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Breast Neoplasms* / drug therapy
  • Breast Neoplasms* / genetics
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
  • Humans
  • Melanoma*
  • Melanoma, Cutaneous Malignant
  • MicroRNAs* / genetics
  • MicroRNAs* / metabolism
  • Skin Neoplasms

Substances

  • MicroRNAs