95% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or good
Learn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish.
Find out more
REVIEW article
Front. Oncol.
Sec. Gynecological Oncology
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1533352
This article is part of the Research Topic Current Trends and Future Prospects in the Use of Immunotherapy in Ovarian Cancer View all 6 articles
Mechanisms of the JNK/p38 MAPK Signaling Pathway in Drug Resistance in Ovarian Cancer
Provisionally accepted- 1 Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, China
- 2 First Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China
Ovarian cancer (OC) is the most lethal malignancy in the female reproductive system, and chemotherapy drug resistance is the main cause of treatment failure. The Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases (MAPK) pathway plays a pivotal role in regulating cell proliferation, migration, and invasive capacity in response to extracellular stimuli. This review focuses on the mechanisms and therapeutic strategies related to the JNK/p38 MAPK signaling pathway in OC resistance. The JNK/p38 MAPK pathway plays a dual role in OC chemoresistance. This review examines its role in mediating OC treatment resistance by exploring the mechanisms of action of the JNK/p38 MAPK signaling pathway, particularly its involvement in several key biological processes, including apoptosis, autophagy, DNA damage response, the tumor microenvironment (TME), and drug efflux.Additionally, the review investigates the timing of activation of this pathway and its crosstalk with other signaling pathways such as PI3K/AKT and NF-κB. Targeting JNK/p38 MAPK signaling has shown promise in reversing chemoresistance, with several inhibitors and natural compounds demonstrating potential in preclinical studies. Regulating JNK/p38 MAPK may transform what was once a terminal obstacle into a manageable challenge for OC patients with chemotherapy resistance, ultimately improving survival and quality of life.
Keywords: ovarian cancer, drug-resistant, JNK, p38, MAPK, Apoptosis, natural compounds
Received: 23 Nov 2024; Accepted: 02 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Ma, Li, Shen, You, Han, Mu 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:
Feng-Juan Han, First Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, Heilongjiang 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.