Zhifang Xu, Seiji Shioda, Jinushi Masahisa, Yutaka Kawakami, Hirokazu Ohtaki, Huimin Calista Lim, Shenjun Wang, Xue Zhao, Yangyang Liu, Dan Zhou and Yi Guo* Pages 1687 - 1692 ( 6 )
Although evidence over the last 30 years suggests that the autonomic nervous system (ANS) mediates stress-induced allostatic and immune responses, the crucial role that it plays in the tumor micro-environment has only recently been reported. Here, we review the action of ANS signaling in this micro-environment. Emerging data suggest that primary tumors are innervated by the ANS which mediates stress-related effects on tumor progression. The activation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) takes advantage of neurotransmitters and neuropeptides from the innervating neural circuitry and/or hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis glucocorticoids via their receptors to modulate the gene expression associated with oncogenesis, the proliferation and apoptosis of tumor cells, angiogenesis, and the tumor-associated immune response. The parasympathetic nervous system has also been implicated in some tumor types, but its contribution in the tumor micro-environment remains unclear. In addition to identifying the ANS signaling pathways involved in tumor progression, recent reports suggest that the ANS could be a potential biomarker to predict tumor progression, and have identified new pharmacological strategies, such as the use of β-adrenergic blockers, to inhibit tumor progression and metastasis by targeting this system. These findings are reviewed here.
Autonomic nervous system, tumor microenvironment, immune response, sympathetic nervous system, adrenergic signaling.
Acu-moxibustion and Tuina Department, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 300193, Division of Cellular Signaling, Institute for Advanced Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku, Tokyo 160-8582, Peptide Drug Innovation, Global Research Center for Innovative Life Science, Hoshi University School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-4-41 Ebara, Shinagawa, Tokyo 142-8501, Peptide Drug Innovation, Global Research Center for Innovative Life Science, Hoshi University School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-4-41 Ebara, Shinagawa, Tokyo 142-8501, Department of Anatomy, Showa University School of Medicine, 1-5-8 Hatanodai, Shinagawa, Tokyo 142-8555, Acu-moxibustion and Tuina Department, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 300193, Acu-moxibustion and Tuina Department, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 300193, Acu-moxibustion and Tuina Department, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 300193, Acu-moxibustion and Tuina Department, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 300193, Acu-moxibustion and Tuina Department, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 300193, Acu-moxibustion and Tuina Department, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 300193