posted on 2013-12-05, 00:00authored byJyotsna Sundar, Munirathinam Gnanasekar
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a frequently diagnosed cancer and causing significant mortality in the
patients. Metastasis caused by CRC is mainly responsible for this cancer-related deaths. Despite
recent advancements in the treatment methods, prognosis remains poor. Therefore, effective
treatment strategies need to be designed for successful management of this disease.
Dehydroepiandrostenedione (DHEA), a 17-ketosteroid hormone produced by adrenal glands,
gonads and including gastrointestinal tract is required for several physiological processes.
Deregulation of DHEA levels leads to various disease conditions including cancer. In fact,
several experimental studies strongly suggest that DHEA could be used as a chemopreventive
agent against colon cancer. Prenlyation of certain membrane proteins such as phosphatase of
regenerating liver-3 (PRL-3) is crucial for metastatic progression of colon cancer cells. The
ability of DHEA to target prenylation pathway could be utilized to inhibit PRL-3 prenylation for
successful prevention of CRC metastases. As DHEA is a widely consumed drug for various
ailments, incorporation of DHEA in the treatment regimen may be beneficial to prevent or delay
the occurrence of metastasis resulting from CRC.
Funding
Study partly supported by University of Illinois Rockford Health Sciences Innovation in
Education, Research and Community Project.
History
Publisher Statement
NOTICE: This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Medical Hypotheses. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Medical Hypotheses, [Vol 80, Issue 5, 2013] DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2013.01.033