Elevated levels of reactive nitrogen species, alteration in redox balance and deregulated redox signaling are common hallmarks of cancer progression and chemoresistance. However, depending on the cellular context, distinct reactive nitrogen species are also hypothesized to mediate cytotoxic activity and are thus used in anticancer therapies. We present here the dual face of nitric oxide and its derivatives in cancer biology. Main derivatives of nitric oxide, such as nitrogen dioxide and peroxynitrite cause cell death by inducing protein and lipid peroxidation and/or DNA damage. Moreover, they control the activity of important protein players within the pro- and anti-apoptotic signaling pathways. Thus, the control of intracellular reactive nitrogen species may become a sophisticated tool in anticancer strategies.

中文翻译：

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一氧化氮及其衍生物在癌症战场上。

活性氮物质的水平升高，氧化还原平衡的改变和氧化还原信号的失调是癌症进展和化学耐药性的常见标志。然而，取决于细胞的背景，还假设了不同的反应性氮物质介导细胞毒性活性，因此被用于抗癌治疗。我们在这里展示一氧化氮及其衍生物在癌症生物学中的双重面貌。一氧化氮的主要衍生物，例如二氧化氮和过氧亚硝酸盐，通过诱导蛋白质和脂质过氧化和/或DNA损伤而导致细胞死亡。此外，它们控制着促凋亡信号通路和抗凋亡信号通路中重要蛋白的活性。因此，细胞内反应性氮的控制可能成为抗癌策略中的一种先进工具。