Targeting the autophagy–apoptosis axis in osteosarcoma: therapeutic potential of biocompounds: a review

Abstract

Osteosarcoma is a prevalent form of cancer that develops in growing bones. The precise cause of this multifaceted disease remains uncertain. Yet, genetic, genomic and proteomic research has enhanced our understanding of the disruption in its molecular signaling pathways. In this review, we attempted to highlight the regulation of autophagy pathways by a range of biocompounds (chemical compounds of biological origin) in osteosarcoma. Autophagy is a degradation mechanism, maintaining cellular homeostasis under basal and stress conditions. However, the role of autophagy is variable in cancer. There is a delicate balance between autophagy and apoptosis, and disruption of this balance is one of the causes of tumor formation and development. Autophagy and apoptosis can reciprocally activate or inhibit each other. Thus, autophagy works synergistically or antagonistically with apoptosis. In osteosarcoma, different biocompounds involve in the regulation of autophagy and/or apoptosis, triggering cellular signaling pathways, convenient or inconvenient for growth, proliferation, invasion and metastasis of cancer cells in a tumor. Also, some of the biocompounds have been shown to affect the therapeutic response of osteosarcoma cells. Therefore, biocompounds are promising candidates for the regulation of autophagy and may play critical roles in the crosstalk between autophagy and apoptosis in osteosarcoma.