Molecular targets for suppression of metastasis: Recent cellular observations

Cancer metastasis is regulated by many factors. In this review article, we introduce novel molecular targets for the suppression of cancer metastasis. Dehydroxymethylepoxyquinomicin (DHMEQ) is a specific inhibitor of NF-κB that inhibits many types of cancer cell growth in vivo. Recently, DHMEQ was reported to suppress cell invasion in an ovarian cancer cell line due to the deregulation of the autocrine system of CXCL12/ CXCR4. An ATP-sensitive K ⁺ channel blocker, glybenclamide, has been reported to suppress PDGF secretion, thereby inhibiting cell migration in ovarian cancer. Other emerging molecular targets are glycosaminoglycan (GAG)-degrading enzymes, such as heparanase and hyaluronidases. These inhibitors have been shown to suppress cancer cell metastasis both in vitro and in vivo. We previously reported the important role of protein glycosylation for metastasis-related protein functions. Thus, we hypothesize that NF-κB, K⁺ channels, GAG-degrading enzymes, and protein glycosylation may be useful targets for suppression of metastasis.