Role of MicroRNA Modulated Wnt Pathway in Breast Cancer and Its Therapeutic Use

Abstract

The Wnt pathway plays a key role in cell growth, survival, and self-renewal which is frequently hyperactive in various cancers. It is categorized into canonical and non-canonical Wnt pathways depending upon the influence of the β-catenin protein. Gene expressions are often altered by small non-coding RNAs, known as microRNAs (miRNAs) leading to regulation involving cell-proliferating pathways like Wnt in various cancers, including breast. miRNAs frequently act as an oncogene or a tumor-suppressor depending upon their regulatory roles. In this review article, the significance of the Wnt pathway in cancer progression, most importantly breast cancer is widely explained. The role of miRNAs in modulating varied pathways especially the Wnt pathway in breast cancer is also reviewed here. Breast cancer suppression using new-age miRNA therapeutics is showing promising results and the use of different nanocarriers for therapeutic delivery is increasing its efficacy. Targeting the Wnt pathway and its related genes can show a new path for the treatment of cancer stem cells (CSCs) of breast and other cancers as the Wnt pathway plays a pivotal role in maintaining the stemness of CSCs. Moreover, controlling the Wnt pathway through miRNA nanocarrier can give another dimension to breast cancer therapy by inhibiting aggressive and tricky breast cancer stem cells.