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REVIEW article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1501659
This article is part of the Research Topic Exploring the role of immune cells and cell therapy in liver cancer View all 6 articles

Targeting caspase-8: a new strategy for combating hepatocellular carcinoma Authors

Provisionally accepted
Haoran Chen Haoran Chen 1Yumeng Lin Yumeng Lin 2Jie Chen Jie Chen 1Xuemei Luo Xuemei Luo 1Yubo Kan Yubo Kan 3Yuqi He Yuqi He 4Renhe Zhu Renhe Zhu 4Jiahui Jin Jiahui Jin 5Dongxuan Li Dongxuan Li 1Yi Wang Yi Wang 1Zhongyu Han Zhongyu Han 1*
  • 1 Affiliated Chengdu Xinhua hospital of north Sichuan medical college, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
  • 2 School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
  • 3 Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
  • 4 Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui Province, China
  • 5 Department of Gastroenterology, Baoji Central Hospital, Baoji, Shaanxi Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents the most prevalent form of primary liver cancer and has a high mortality rate. Caspase-8 plays a pivotal role in an array of cellular signalling pathways and is essential for the governance of programmed cell death mechanisms, inflammatory responses, and the dynamics of the tumor microenvironment. Dysregulation of caspase-8 is intricately linked to the complex biological underpinnings of HCC. In this manuscript, we provide a comprehensive review of the regulatory roles of caspase-8 in apoptosis, necroptosis, pyroptosis, and PANoptosis, as well as its impact on inflammatory reactions and the intricate interplay with critical immune cells within the tumuor microenvironment, such as tumuor-associated macrophages, T cells, natural killer cells, and dendritic cells. Furthermore, we emphasize how caspase-8 plays pivotal roles in the development, progression, and drug resistance observed in HCC, and explore the potential of targeting caspase-8 as a promising strategy for HCC treatment.

    Keywords: caspase-8, Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Apoptosis, necroptosis, pyroptosis, PANoptosis, tumour microenvironment

    Received: 25 Sep 2024; Accepted: 29 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Chen, Lin, Chen, Luo, Kan, He, Zhu, Jin, Li, Wang and Han. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Zhongyu Han, Affiliated Chengdu Xinhua hospital of north Sichuan medical college, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.