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Publications

Journal Article Review Epublish

PubMed: 40699859 DOI: 10.3390/cimb47060460

Targeting Cancer Cell Fate: Apoptosis, Autophagy, and Gold Nanoparticles in Treatment Strategies.

Curr Issues Mol Biol 47(6)

Authors: Maria Anthi Kouri, Alexandra Tsaroucha, Theano-Marina Axakali, Panagiotis Varelas, Vassilis Kouloulias, Kalliopi Platoni, Efstathios P Efstathopoulos

Affiliations

  • Department of Applied Medical Physics, Attikon University Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece.
  • Medical Physics, General Hospital GHA Korgialeneio Mpenakeio-Hellenic Red Cross, 11526 Athens, Greece.
  • Laboratory of Bioethics, School of Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, 68100 Alexandroupolis, Greece.
  • Department of Biomedical Engineering, Radiation Physics, Materials Technology and Biomedical Imaging Laboratory, AKΤYÎ’A, University of West Attica, Egaleo, 12210 Athens, Greece.
  • Hemodynamic Laboratory, General Hospital GHA Korgialeneio Mpenakeio-Hellenic Red Cross, 11526 Athens, Greece.
  • Department of Clinical Radiation Oncology, Attikon University Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11528 Athens, Greece.

Abstract

At the intersection of nanotechnology and cancer biology, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have emerged as more than passive carriers-they are active agents capable of reshaping cellular fate. Among their most promising attributes is the potential to modulate apoptosis and autophagy, two intricately linked pathways that determine tumor response to stress, damage, and treatment. Apoptosis serves as the principal mechanism of programmed cell death, while autophagy offers a dualistic role-preserving survival under transient stress or contributing to cell death under sustained insult. Thus, understanding how these mechanisms interact-and how AuNPs influence this crosstalk-may be key to unlocking more effective oncologic therapies. This review explores the molecular interplay between apoptosis and autophagy in cancer and evaluates how AuNPs impact these pathways. By enhancing radiosensitization in radiation therapy and improving drug delivery and chemotherapeutic precision, AuNPs offer a unique strategy to circumvent resistance in aggressive or refractory tumors towards shaping their biological behavior and cellular pathways and, therefore, forming a patient-centered personalized therapeutic potential. Yet, clinical translation remains challenging. The dynamic physicochemical nature of AuNPs makes their biological behavior highly context-dependent. Combined with the complexity of apoptotic and autophagic signaling and tumor heterogeneity, this creates a triad of profound intricacy. However, within this complexity lies therapeutic opportunity. Framing AuNPs, apoptosis, and autophagy as a synergistic axis may enable mechanism-informed, adaptable, and patient-specific cancer therapies. This paradigm shift invites a more strategic integration of nanotechnology with molecular oncology, advancing the frontier of precision medicine.

MeSH

Cells, Autophagy, Nanoparticles, Stress, Physiological, Neoplasms, Drug Therapy, Therapeutics, Apoptosis, Nanotechnology, Cell Death, Chemotherapy