title: Epigenetic deregulation of the COX pathway in cancer.
abstract: Inflammation is a major cause of cancer and may condition its progression. The deregulation of the cyclooxygenase (COX) pathway is implicated in several pathophysiological processes, including inflammation and cancer. Although, its targeting with nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and COX-2 selective inhibitors has been investigated for years with promising results at both preventive and therapeutic levels, undesirable side effects and the limited understanding of the regulation and functionalities of the COX pathway compromise a more extensive application of these drugs. Epigenetics is bringing additional levels of complexity to the understanding of basic biological and pathological processes. The deregulation of signaling and biosynthetic pathways by epigenetic mechanisms may account for new molecular targets in cancer therapeutics. Genes of the COX pathway are seldom mutated in neoplastic cells, but a large proportion of them show aberrant expression in different types of cancer. A growing body of evidence indicates that epigenetic alterations play a critical role in the deregulation of the genes of the COX pathway. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the contribution of epigenetic processes to the deregulation of the COX pathway in cancer, getting insights into how these alterations may be relevant for the clinical management of patients.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Predictive and Personalized Medicine of Cancer, Badalona, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Inês
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cebola
authors.forename: Miguel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Peinado
mesh_terms: D015237:Dinoprost / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015232:Dinoprostone / Q000096:biosynthesis; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D011464:Epoprostenol / Q000096:biosynthesis; D020868:Gene Silencing; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D015230:Prostaglandin D2 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013928:Thromboxane A2 / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D013928:Thromboxane A2; D015237:Dinoprost; D011464:Epoprostenol; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases; D015232:Dinoprostone; D015230:Prostaglandin D2