Adjunctive Impact of Mitochondria-Targeting Antibiotics for Cancer Stem Cells of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Proposal for a Novel Approach in Resistant Cases

• Published in: Journal of dentistry (Shiraz) 2024-09, Vol.25 (3), p.190-191
• Main Authors: Amiri, Mohammad Amin, Abbasi, Hesam, Hamedani, Shahram, Daneste, Hossein
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: antineoplastic antibiotics; Letter to Editor; mouth neoplasms; oral squamous cell carcinoma
• ISSN: 2345-6485; 2345-6418
• DOI: 10.30476/dentjods.2024.102852.2397

Dear SirOral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common cancer involving the oral and maxillofacial area [1]. OSCC is reported to exert the worst quality of life among the patients suffering from head and neck cancers [2]. Moreover, the rate of survival in these cases and the prognosis of OSCC are the concerning issues among the oncologists and oral and maxillofacial surgeons [3]. The current proposed treatment options can be a combination of surgical removal, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy [4-5]. Despite the success of the mentioned treatment protocols employed in these cases, many patients still suffer from low quality of life and short-time survival rate after the surgeries in resistant and metastatic cases [2, 6-7]. These shortcomings have motivated scientists to look for novel treatment options to alleviate the symptoms and improve the patients’ quality of life, especially in resistant and recurrent cases [7].One of the noticeable parts of OSCC leading to its development, metastasis, chemo-resistance, and survival is the cancer stem cells (CSCs) at the core of the tumor [8-9]. CSCs are highly potent cells resembling other stem cells in terms of self-renewal, producing heterogeneous and differentiated cells [10]. These CSCs have been shown to have an exceptionally high potential for survival and proliferation in hypoxic conditions and under high doses of medications [11]. The study of these CSCs can provide valuable insights into the prognosis and chemoresistance potential of OSCC [12].Due to the high potency of CSCs and their critical role in the development of cancers, especially OSCC, few treatment options are suggested to minimize the activity and survival of CSCs [10, 13]. In this regard, targeting the CSCs surface markers, signaling pathways, miRNA-based treatments, and immunotherapy are the proposed strategies to deal with CSCs [10]. Among the mentioned treatment options, the application of antibiotics can be a possible option due to their advantage of availability, low-cost, and their extensively studied mechanisms of action [14]. Concurrently, the antibiotics that target the mitochondria are shown to be a viable option. In the study by Lamb et al. [14], it was demonstrated that erythromycins, tetracyclines, glycylcyclines, an antifungal drug, and chloramphenicol are the groups of antibiotics which have been proven to be effective in this regard. Among these groups, azithromycin, doxycycline, tigecycline, pyrvinium pamoate, and chloramph