Targeting the mitochondria activates two independent cell death pathways in ovarian cancer stem cells.

ABSTRACT: Cancer stem cells are responsible for tumor initiation and chemoresistance. In ovarian cancer, the CD44+/MyD88+ ovarian cancer stem cells are also able to repair the tumor and serve as tumor vascular progenitors. Targeting these cells is therefore necessary to improve treatment outcome and patient survival. The previous demonstration that the ovarian cancer stem cells are resistant to apoptotic cell death induced by conventional chemotherapy agents suggests that other forms of targeted therapy should be explored. We show in this study that targeting mitochondrial bioenergetics is a potent stimulus to induce caspase-independent cell death in a panel of ovarian cancer stem cells. Treatment of these cells with the novel isoflavone derivative, NV-128, significantly depressed mitochondrial func

SUBMITTER: Alvero AB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3703662 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature