Current perspectives of mitochondria-targeted antioxidants in cancer prevention and treatment

Roman A Zinovkin; Konstantin G Lyamzaev; Boris V Chernyak

doi:10.3389/fcell.2023.1048177

Current perspectives of mitochondria-targeted antioxidants in cancer prevention and treatment

Front Cell Dev Biol. 2023 Mar 16:11:1048177. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1048177. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Roman A Zinovkin^{1

2}, Konstantin G Lyamzaev^{1

2}, Boris V Chernyak¹

Affiliations

¹ Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia.
² The "Russian Clinical Research Center for Gerontology" of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russia.

Abstract

Oxidative stress nearly always accompanies all stages of cancer development. At the early stages, antioxidants may help to reduce reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and exhibit anticarcinogenic effects. In the later stages, ROS involvement becomes more complex. On the one hand, ROS are necessary for cancer progression and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. On the other hand, antioxidants may promote cancer cell survival and may increase metastatic frequency. The role of mitochondrial ROS in cancer development remains largely unknown. This paper reviews experimental data on the effects of both endogenous and exogenous antioxidants on cancerogenesis focusing on the development and application of mitochondria-targeted antioxidants. We also discuss the prospects for antioxidant cancer therapy, focusing on the use of mitochondria-targeted antioxidants.

Keywords: cancer development; cancer therapy; mitochondria-targeted antioxidants; mitochondrial ROS; oxidative stress.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

This study was partly supported by the Interdisciplinary Scientific and Educational School of Moscow University Molecular Technologies of the Living Systems and Synthetic Biology.