The Hyaluronan/CD44 Axis: A Double-Edged Sword in Cancer.

ABSTRACT: Hyaluronic acid (HA) receptor CD44 is widely used for identifying cancer stem cells and its activation promotes stemness. Recent evidence shows that overexpression of CD44 is associated with poor prognosis in most human cancers and mediates therapy resistance. For these reasons, in recent years, CD44 has become a treatment target in precision oncology, often via HA-conjugated antineoplastic drugs. Importantly, HA molecules of different sizes have a dual effect and, therefore, may enhance or attenuate the CD44-mediated signaling pathways, as they compete with endogenous HA for binding to the receptors. The magnitude of these effects could be crucial for cancer progression, as well as for driving the inflammatory response in the tumor microenvironment. The increasingly common use of HA-conju

SUBMITTER: Cirillo N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10649834 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature