The implications of hyponitroxia in cancer

Bryan Oronsky; Gary R Fanger; Neil Oronsky; Susan Knox; Jan Scicinski

doi:10.1016/j.tranon.2014.02.001

The implications of hyponitroxia in cancer

Transl Oncol. 2014 Apr;7(2):167-73. doi: 10.1016/j.tranon.2014.02.001. Epub 2014 Mar 4.

Authors

Bryan Oronsky¹, Gary R Fanger¹, Neil Oronsky², Susan Knox³, Jan Scicinski⁴

Affiliations

¹ RadioRx, Inc., Mountain View, CA, USA.
² CFLS, San Jose, CA, USA.
³ Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA, USA.
⁴ RadioRx, Inc., Mountain View, CA, USA. Electronic address: jscicinski@radiorx.com.

Abstract

Tumors are spatially heterogeneous, with regions of relative hypoxia and normoxia. The tumor microenvironment is an important determinant of both tumor growth and response to a variety of cytotoxic and targeted therapies. In the tumor microenvironment, reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide (NO) are important mediators of the level of expression of many transcription factors and signaling cascades that affect tumor growth and responses to therapy. The primary objective of this review is to explore and discuss the seemingly dichotomous actions of NO in cancer biology as both a tumor promoter and suppressor with an emphasis on understanding the role of persistently low NO concentrations or hyponitroxia as a key mediator in tumor progression. This review will also discuss the potential role of hyponitroxia as a novel therapeutic target to treat cancer and outline an approach that provides new opportunities for pharmacological intervention.

Publication types

Review