Modern cancer chemotherapy originated in the 1940s, and since then, many chemotherapeutic agents have been developed. However, most of these agents show limited response in patients due to innate and acquired resistance to therapy, which leads to the development of multi-drug resistance to different treatment modalities, leading to cancer recurrence and, eventually, patient death. One of the crucial players in inducing chemotherapy resistance is the aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) enzyme. ALDH is overexpressed in chemotherapy-resistant cancer cells, which detoxifies the generated toxic aldehydes from chemotherapy, preventing the formation of reactive oxygen species and, thus, inhibiting the induction of oxidative stress and the stimulation of DNA damage and cell death. This review discusses the mechanisms of chemotherapy resistance in cancer cells promoted by ALDH. In addition, we provide detailed insight into the role of ALDH in cancer stemness, metastasis, metabolism, and cell death. Several studies investigated targeting ALDH in combination with other treatments as a potential therapeutic regimen to overcome resistance. We also highlight novel approaches in ALDH inhibition, including the potential synergistic employment of ALDH inhibitors in combination with chemotherapy or immunotherapy against different cancers, including head and neck, colorectal, breast, lung, and liver.
Keywords: Aldehyde dehydrogenases; Chemotherapy; Chemotherapy resistance; Combination treatment; Immunotherapy; cancer stemness.
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