Insights into an Immunotherapeutic Approach to Combat Multidrug Resistance in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has emerged as one of the most lethal cancers worldwide because of its high refractoriness and multi-drug resistance to existing chemotherapies, which leads to poor patient survival. Novel pharmacological strategies to tackle HCC are based on oral multi-kinase inhibito...

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Main Authors: Aswathy R. Devan, Ayana R. Kumar, Bhagyalakshmi Nair, Nikhil Ponnoor Anto, Amitha Muraleedharan, Bijo Mathew, Hoon Kim, Lekshmi R. Nath
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-07-01
Series:Pharmaceuticals
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/14/7/656
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author Aswathy R. Devan
Ayana R. Kumar
Bhagyalakshmi Nair
Nikhil Ponnoor Anto
Amitha Muraleedharan
Bijo Mathew
Hoon Kim
Lekshmi R. Nath
author_facet Aswathy R. Devan
Ayana R. Kumar
Bhagyalakshmi Nair
Nikhil Ponnoor Anto
Amitha Muraleedharan
Bijo Mathew
Hoon Kim
Lekshmi R. Nath
author_sort Aswathy R. Devan
collection DOAJ
description Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has emerged as one of the most lethal cancers worldwide because of its high refractoriness and multi-drug resistance to existing chemotherapies, which leads to poor patient survival. Novel pharmacological strategies to tackle HCC are based on oral multi-kinase inhibitors like sorafenib; however, the clinical use of the drug is restricted due to the limited survival rate and significant side effects, suggesting the existence of a primary or/and acquired drug-resistance mechanism. Because of this hurdle, HCC patients are forced through incomplete therapy. Although multiple approaches have been employed in parallel to overcome multidrug resistance (MDR), the results are varying with insignificant outcomes. In the past decade, cancer immunotherapy has emerged as a breakthrough approach and has played a critical role in HCC treatment. The liver is the main immune organ of the lymphatic system. Researchers utilize immunotherapy because immune evasion is considered a major reason for rapid HCC progression. Moreover, the immune response can be augmented and sustained, thus preventing cancer relapse over the post-treatment period. In this review, we provide detailed insights into the immunotherapeutic approaches to combat MDR by focusing on HCC, together with challenges in clinical translation.
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spelling doaj.art-d8561ce756e24227880e0c26a9940b812023-11-22T04:39:43ZengMDPI AGPharmaceuticals1424-82472021-07-0114765610.3390/ph14070656Insights into an Immunotherapeutic Approach to Combat Multidrug Resistance in Hepatocellular CarcinomaAswathy R. Devan0Ayana R. Kumar1Bhagyalakshmi Nair2Nikhil Ponnoor Anto3Amitha Muraleedharan4Bijo Mathew5Hoon Kim6Lekshmi R. Nath7Department of Pharmacognosy, Amrita School of Pharmacy, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, AIMS Health Science Campus, Kochi 682041, Kerala, IndiaDepartment of Pharmacognosy, Amrita School of Pharmacy, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, AIMS Health Science Campus, Kochi 682041, Kerala, IndiaDepartment of Pharmacognosy, Amrita School of Pharmacy, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, AIMS Health Science Campus, Kochi 682041, Kerala, IndiaThe Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O.B. 653, Beer Sheva 84105, IsraelThe Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O.B. 653, Beer Sheva 84105, IsraelDepartment of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Amrita School of Pharmacy, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, AIMS Health Science Campus, Kochi 682041, Kerala, IndiaDepartment of Pharmacy, and Research Institute of Life Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sunchon National University, Suncheon 57922, KoreaDepartment of Pharmacognosy, Amrita School of Pharmacy, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, AIMS Health Science Campus, Kochi 682041, Kerala, IndiaHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has emerged as one of the most lethal cancers worldwide because of its high refractoriness and multi-drug resistance to existing chemotherapies, which leads to poor patient survival. Novel pharmacological strategies to tackle HCC are based on oral multi-kinase inhibitors like sorafenib; however, the clinical use of the drug is restricted due to the limited survival rate and significant side effects, suggesting the existence of a primary or/and acquired drug-resistance mechanism. Because of this hurdle, HCC patients are forced through incomplete therapy. Although multiple approaches have been employed in parallel to overcome multidrug resistance (MDR), the results are varying with insignificant outcomes. In the past decade, cancer immunotherapy has emerged as a breakthrough approach and has played a critical role in HCC treatment. The liver is the main immune organ of the lymphatic system. Researchers utilize immunotherapy because immune evasion is considered a major reason for rapid HCC progression. Moreover, the immune response can be augmented and sustained, thus preventing cancer relapse over the post-treatment period. In this review, we provide detailed insights into the immunotherapeutic approaches to combat MDR by focusing on HCC, together with challenges in clinical translation.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/14/7/656hepatocellular carcinomaimmunotherapymultidrug resistance
spellingShingle Aswathy R. Devan
Ayana R. Kumar
Bhagyalakshmi Nair
Nikhil Ponnoor Anto
Amitha Muraleedharan
Bijo Mathew
Hoon Kim
Lekshmi R. Nath
Insights into an Immunotherapeutic Approach to Combat Multidrug Resistance in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Pharmaceuticals
hepatocellular carcinoma
immunotherapy
multidrug resistance
title Insights into an Immunotherapeutic Approach to Combat Multidrug Resistance in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
title_full Insights into an Immunotherapeutic Approach to Combat Multidrug Resistance in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
title_fullStr Insights into an Immunotherapeutic Approach to Combat Multidrug Resistance in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
title_full_unstemmed Insights into an Immunotherapeutic Approach to Combat Multidrug Resistance in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
title_short Insights into an Immunotherapeutic Approach to Combat Multidrug Resistance in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
title_sort insights into an immunotherapeutic approach to combat multidrug resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma
topic hepatocellular carcinoma
immunotherapy
multidrug resistance
url https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/14/7/656
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