Submitted on October 9, 2008
Revised on November 13, 2008
Accepted on November 19, 2008
Muscarinic receptors and ligands in cancer
Nirish Shah1, Sandeep Khurana1, Kunrong Cheng1, and Jean-Pierre Raufman1*
1 University of Maryland School of Medicine
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jraufman{at}medicine.umaryland.edu.
Emerging evidence indicates that muscarinic receptors and ligands play key roles in regulating cellular proliferation and cancer progression. Both neuronal and non-neuronal acetylcholine production results in neurocrine, paracrine and autocrine promotion of cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and other features critical for cancer cell survival and spread. The present review comprises a focused critical analysis of evidence supporting the role of muscarinic receptors and ligands in cancer. Criteria are proposed to validate the biological importance of muscarinic receptor expression, activation, and post-receptor signaling. Likewise, criteria are proposed to validate the role of non-neuronal acetylcholine production in cancer. Dissecting cellular mechanisms necessary for muscarinic receptor activation as well as those needed for acetylcholine production and release will identify multiple novel targets for cancer therapy.
