Therapeutic potential of targeting mirnas to prostate cancer tumors: using psma as an active target

Abstract

Prostate cancer (PC) is a commonly diagnosed malignancy in men and is associated with high mortality rates. Current treatments for PC include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. However, recent advances in targeted delivery systems have yielded promising new approaches to PC treatment. As PC epithelial cells express high levels of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) on the cell surface, new drug conjugates focused on PSMA targeting have been developed. microRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that regulate posttranscriptional gene expression in cells and show excellent possibilities for use in developing new therapeutics for PC. PSMA-targeted therapies based on a miRNA payload and that selectively target PC cells enhances therapeutic efficacy without eliciting damage to normal surrounding tissue. This review discusses the rationale for utilizing miRNAs to target PSMA, revealing their potential in therapeutic approaches to PC treatment. Different delivery systems for miRNAs and challenges to miRNA therapy are also explored.