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World J Hepatol. Jun 8, 2015; 7(10): 1390-1402
Published online Jun 8, 2015. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v7.i10.1390
Chemokines and their receptors play important roles in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma
Chun-Min Liang, Long Chen, Heng Hu, Hui-Ying Ma, Ling-Ling Gao, Jie Qin, Cui-Ping Zhong
Chun-Min Liang, Long Chen, Heng Hu, Hui-Ying Ma, Ling-Ling Gao, Jie Qin, Cui-Ping Zhong, Lab of Tumor Immunology, Department of Anatomy and Histology and Embryology, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
Author contributions: All the authors contributed to this paper.
Supported by National Science Foundation of China, No. 31471147.
Conflict-of-interest: The authors certify that there is no actual or potential conflict of interest and publication copyright in relation to this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Chun-Min Liang, MD, PhD, Lab of Tumor Immunology, Department of Anatomy and Histology and Embryology, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, 138 Yixueyuan Road, Shanghai 200032, China. cmliang@fudan.edu.cn
Telephone: +86-21-54237027 Fax: +86-21-54237027
Received: August 28, 2014
Peer-review started: August 28, 2014
First decision: October 14, 2014
Revised: March 17, 2015
Accepted: April 1, 2015
Article in press: April 7, 2015
Published online: June 8, 2015
Processing time: 278 Days and 20.6 Hours
Abstract

The chemokine system consists of four different subclasses with over 50 chemokines and 19 receptors. Their functions in the immune system have been well elucidated and research during the last decades unveils their new roles in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The chemokines and their receptors in the microenvironment influence the development of HCC by several aspects including: inflammation, effects on immune cells, angiogenesis, and direct effects on HCC cells. Regarding these aspects, pre-clinical research by targeting the chemokine system has yielded promising data, and these findings bring us new clues in the chemokine-based therapies for HCC.

Keywords: Chemokines; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Immune cells; Chemokine receptors; Inflammation; Angiogenesis; Tumor behaviors; Treatments

Core tip: The chemokine system not only serves as the core components in orchestrating the normal immune response but also plays a key role in the microenvironment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Therefore, the thorough understanding of its role is indispensible for devising effective treatments. During the progress of HCC, the chemokine system boosts aberrant inflammation and angiogenesis through simultaneously affecting different kinds of immune cells and influencing the migration, invasion, growth and survival of tumor cells. Targeting the chemokine system has elicited powerful anti-tumor effects and this indicates an encouraging treatment option in HCC.