Molecular Mechanisms, Diagnosis and Treatments in Digestive Malignancy - Editorial

Sep 24, 2026

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An editorial within the International Journal of Molecular Sciences Special Issue on digestive malignancy summarizes molecular mechanisms and clinical implications for diagnosis and treatment. It highlights transient receptor potential (TRP) channels as potential biomarkers or therapeutic targets, describing altered TRP expression patterns across digestive cancers. It reviews mechanistic evidence for telmisartan in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma via signaling inhibition and microRNA changes, and discusses microRNAs in therapy response and radioresistance. It also considers GLP1 agonists and metabolic pathways for hepatocellular carcinoma risk.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

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Pages4

Reading Time10 min

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Editorial

TRP channels in digestive tract cancers

Telmisartan and microRNA-mediated mechanisms in ESCC

MicroRNAs as diagnostic biomarkers and treatment response predictors

GLP1 agonists and metabolic regulation in HCC

Editorial Molecular Mechanisms, Diagnosis and Treatments in Digestive Malignancy Tatsuo Kanda *, Ryota Masuzaki , Reina Sasaki-Tanaka , Hirofumi Kogure and Mitsuhiko Moriyama Citation: Kanda, T.; Masuzaki, R.; Sasaki-Tanaka, R.; Kogure, H.; Moriyama, M. Molecular Mechanisms, Diagnosis and Treatments in Digestive Malignancy. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24, 6471 . [https://doi.org/10.3390/](https://doi.org/10.3390/)[ ](https://doi.org/10.3390/)ijms24076471 Received: 22 March 2023 Accepted: 28 March 2023 Published: 30 March 2023 Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ([https://](https://)[ ](https://)[creativecommons.org/licenses/by/](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[ ](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[4.0/](4.0/)) . Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, 30-1 Oyaguchi-kamicho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-8610, Japan; [masuzaki.ryota@nihon-u.ac.jp](masuzaki.ryota@nihon-u.ac.jp) (R.M.); [moriyama.mitsuhiko@nihon-u.ac.jp](moriyama.mitsuhiko@nihon-u.ac.jp) (M.M.) * Correspondence: [kanda.tatsuo@nihon-u.ac.jp](kanda.tatsuo@nihon-u.ac.jp); Tel.: +81-3-3972-8111 Keywords: transient receptor potential channel; microRNAs; telmisartan; glucagon-like peptide 1 agonist; HCC; innate immune response In this Special Issue,“Molecular Mechanisms, Diagnosis and Treatments in Digestive Malignancy”, of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, a total of 10 impactful articles have been published. Stokłosa et al. reviewed the transient receptor potential (TRP) channel family, among ion channels, ﬁnding that it plays a role in digestive tract cancers [1] . The member of the TRP channel family have been classiﬁed into six human TRP channel subfamilies, including canonical (TRPC), melastatin (TRPM), vanilloid (TRPV), ankyrin (TRPA), polycystic (TRPP), and mucolipin (TRPML) channels. Most TRP channels play an essential role in the inﬂux of monovalent and divalent cations, such as Na+, Mg2+, and Ca2+, as well as trace metal ions. Mutations in the TRP genes are not involved in most of the TRP channels' changes in cancer. Increased or decreased levels of the expression of functional TRP proteins are involved depending on the cancer's stage. The different expression patterns of TRP channels were observed inhuman oral cancer, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), pancreatic cancer, and gastric and colorectal cancers. It is possible that the TRP channels may be potential cancer biomarkers or therapeutic targets [1,2] . Telmisartan, an angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptor blocker (ARB), inhibits the proliferation of human ESCC in vitro and in vivo [3] . Telmisartan inhibits the phosphorylation of ErbB3, a member of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family, and inhibits cell-cycle progression from synthesis (S) to the gap 2 (G2)/mitosis and cytokinesis (M) phase by decreasing the expression of cyclin A2 and cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (Cdk2) inhuman ESCC KYSE180 cells [3] . Telmisartan also decreases the thrombospondin-1 levels in KYSE180 cells [3] . A total of 36 and 23 MicroRNAs (miRNAs) were upregulated and downregulated, respectively, in KYSE180 cells treated with telmisartan [3] . The growth of KYSE180 tumors in nude mice was inhibited by the treatment of telmisartan [3] . Telmisartan may be effective for ESCC. Many patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma do not beneﬁt from chemoradiotherapy treatment due to therapy resistance [4] . miRNAs, small (19–24 nucleotides) non-coding RNA molecules, in small extracellular vesicles, comprise a stable form of circulating nucleic acids that are useful for diagnosis and as biomarkers that are predictive of treatment response [5] . Butz et al. demonstrated that the inhibition of miR-451a enhances radiosensitivity in

FAQs

What do TRP channels contribute to in digestive tract cancers?

TRP channels are implicated in the influx of cations and show altered expression patterns across several digestive cancers, supporting their potential as biomarkers or therapeutic targets.

How does telmisartan affect esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in the studies cited?

Telmisartan inhibits proliferation by affecting signaling such as ErbB3 phosphorylation, disrupts cell-cycle progression, reduces thrombospondin-1 levels, and alters microRNA expression profiles in treated cells and tumor models.

Why are microRNAs emphasized for diagnosis and treatment response in digestive malignancy?

MicroRNAs in small extracellular vesicles provide stable circulating nucleic acids, enabling diagnosis and prediction of treatment response, including links to radiosensitivity and resistance patterns.

Sep 24, 2026

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