AlphaB-crystallin (HSPB5) is one of the most prominent and well-studied members of the small heat shock protein (sHsp) family. To date, it is known that this protein modulates significant cellular processes and therefore, it is not surprising that its deregulation is involved in various human pathologies, including cancer diseases. Despite the pathogenic significance of HSPB5 in cancer and its regulatory mechanism related to aggressiveness is poorly understood, several reports describe the association of breast carcinoma progression with HSPB5, whose expression is also considered an independent predictor of breast cancer metastasis to the brain. Indeed, numerous authors indicate HSPB5 as a new valuable biomarker for clinicopathological parameters and poor prognosis in breast cancer. Considering the cytoprotective, anti-apoptotic, pro-angiogenic, and pro-metastatic properties of the sHsps, it is not surprising that they are considered as promising targets for anticancer treatment, even though, at present, a deeper understanding of their mode of action is needed to allow the development of precise therapeutic interventions. Data on the direct inhibition of different sHsps demonstrate promising results in cancer pathologies; however, specific strategies against HSPB5 have not been considered. This review highlights the most relevant findings on HSPB5 and its role in breast cancer, as well as the possible strategies in using HSPB5 inhibition for therapeutic purposes.

AlphaB-晶状体蛋白 (HSPB5) 是小热休克蛋白 (sHsp) 家族中最著名且研究最充分的成员之一。迄今为止，已知这种蛋白质调节重要的细胞过程，因此，其失调与各种人类病理学（包括癌症疾病）有关也就不足为奇了。尽管 HSPB5 在癌症中的致病意义及其与侵袭性相关的调节机制知之甚少，但一些报告描述了乳腺癌进展与 HSPB5 的关联，HSPB5 的表达也被认为是乳腺癌脑转移的独立预测因子。事实上，许多作者指出 HSPB5 是乳腺癌临床病理参数和不良预后的新的有价值的生物标志物。考虑到 sHsps 的细胞保护、抗凋亡、促血管生成和促转移特性，它们被认为是有希望的抗癌治疗靶标也就不足为奇了，尽管目前对其作用模式有了更深入的了解需要开发精确的治疗干预措施。直接抑制不同 sHsps 的数据表明在癌症病理学中具有良好的结果；然而，尚未考虑针对 HSPB5 的具体策略。本综述重点介绍了 HSPB5 及其在乳腺癌中的作用的最相关发现，以及使用 HSPB5 抑制进行治疗的可能策略。