Abstract
Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) as a major component of cancer stroma contribute to
diverse procedures of most solid tumors and might be a targeted cancer therapy approach. Their specified
features, related signaling pathways, distinct biomarkers, and sub-populations need to be deciphered.
There is a need for CAF extraction or induction for in vitro investigations. Some miRNAs could
activate CAF-like phenotype and they also interfere in CAF-mediated drug resistance, aggressiveness,
and metastatic behaviors of several cancer cell types. Due to the complex relevance of miRNA and
CAFs, these non-coding oligonucleotides may serve as attractive scope for anti-cancer targeted therapies,
but the lack of an efficient delivery system is still a major hurdle. Here, we have summarized the
investigated information on CAF features, isolation, and induction procedures, and highlighted the
miRNA-CAF communications, providing special insight into nano-delivery systems.
Graphical Abstract
[25]
Brechbuhl, H.M.; Finlay-schultz, J.; Yamamoto, T.M.; Gillen, A.E.; Cittelly, D.M.; Tan, A. Fibroblast subtypes regulate responsiveness of luminal breast cancer to estrogen. Clin. Cancer. Res., 2017, 146(7), 1710-1722.
[72]
Zhao, M; Zhuang, A; Fang, Y Cancer-associated fibroblast-derived exosomal miRNA-320a promotes macrophage M2 polarization In vitro by regulating PTEN/PI3K γ signaling in pancreatic cancer. J. Oncol., 2022, 2022, 9514697.
[93]
Shan, G; Zhou, X; Gu, J; Zhou, D; Cheng, W; Wu, H. Downregulated exosomal microRNA-148b-3p in cancer associated fibroblasts enhance chemosensitivity of bladder cancer cells by downregulating the Wnt / β -catenin pathway and upregulating PTEN. 2021, 44, 45-59.
[94]
Qin, X; Guo, H; Wang, X; Zhu, X; Yan, M; Wang, X Exosomal miR-196a derived from cancer-associated fibroblasts confers cisplatin resistance in head and neck cancer through targeting CDKN1B and ING5. Genome Biol., 2019, 20(1), 12.
[95]
Yao, F; Wu, S; Xu, M Exosomal miR-196a-5p enhances radioresistance in lung cancer cells by downregulating NFKBIA. Kaohsiung J. Med. Sci., 2022, 39(6), 554-564.
[97]
Zhang, H; Shi, Y; Wang, JLH; Wang, P; Wu, Z; Li, L Cancer-associated fibroblast-derived exosomal microRNA-24-3p enhances colon cancer cell resistance to MTX by down-regulating CDX2/HEPH axis. J. Cell. Mol. Med., 2020, 25(8), 3699-3713.
[100]
Zhang, L; Yao, J; Li, W; Zhang, C Micro-RNA-21 regulates cancer-associated fibroblast-mediated drug resistance in pancreatic cancer. Oncol. Res., 2018, 26(6), 827-835.