Bacteria-derived chimeric toxins as potential anticancer agents

Abstract

Cancer is one of the major causes of death globally, requiring everlasting efforts to develop novel, specific, effective, and safe treatment strategies. Despite advances in recent years, chemotherapy, as the primary treatment for cancer, still faces limitations such as the lack of specificity, drug resistance, and treatment failure. Bacterial toxins have great potential to be used as anticancer agents and can boost the effectiveness of cancer chemotherapeutics. Bacterial toxins exert anticancer effects by affecting the cell cycle and apoptotic pathways and regulating tumorigenesis. Chimeric toxins, which are recombinant derivatives of bacterial toxins, have been developed to address the low specificity of their conventional peers. Through their targeting moieties, chimeric toxins can specifically and effectively detect and kill cancer cells. This review takes a comprehensive look at the anticancer properties of bacteria-derived toxins and discusses their potential applications as therapeutic options for integrative cancer treatment.

Microbial Therapy and Breast Cancer Management: Exploring Mechanisms, Clinical Efficacy, and Integration within the One Health Approach

“…However, a salient concern in harnessing bacterial agents for cancer therapeutics pertains to their potential cytotoxicity and pathogenic manifestations. To mitigate these risks, the scientific community has explored genetic engineering as a solution, allowing the excision of virulence-inducing genes while preserving therapeutic features [71]. However, the selection of bacteria is paramount: an ideal bacterial candidate should effectively permeate tumors, possess minimal infectiousness, and remain amenable to antibiotic-mediated elimination post-intervention.…”

Unlocking the Therapeutic Potential of BCL-2 Associated Protein Family: Exploring BCL-2 Inhibitors in Cancer Therapy

“…Many bacterial endotoxins were found to harbor an anti-cancer effect. Examples are the cytotoxic necrotizing factor (CNF) secreted by Escherichia coli that was found to suppress cellular differentiation and induce apoptosis ( Khoshnood et al ., 2022 ). Pseudomonas aeruginosa , a gram-negative non-fermentative bacillus, secretes several exotoxins, including exotoxin A & T, that induce caspase 3-dependent apoptosis and DNA fragmentation ( Wolf and Elsässer-Beile, 2009 ; Goldufsky et al ., 2015 ).…”

Microbial Therapy and Breast Cancer Management: Exploring Mechanisms, Clinical Efficacy, and Integration Within the One Health Approach

“…However, a salient concern in harnessing bacterial agents for cancer therapeutics pertains to their potential cytotoxicity and pathogenic manifestations. To mitigate these risks, the scientific community has explored genetic engineering as a solution, allowing the excision of virulenceinducing genes while preserving therapeutic features [25]. Yet, the selection of bacteria is paramount: an ideal bacterial candidate should effectively permeate tumors, possess a minimal infectious propensity, and remain amenable to antibiotic-mediated elimination post-intervention.…”