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Fig. 4 | Particle and Fibre Toxicology

Fig. 4

From: Nanomaterial-mediated autophagy: coexisting hazard and health benefits in biomedicine

Fig. 4

Dual role of cancer cell-associated autophagy in cancer progression. This figure depicts recently described mechanisms supporting a tumor suppressor or tumor promoter role for autophagy. a Autophagy as tumor suppressor mechanism. (1) Functional autophagy acts as a quality control mechanism that, under stressed conditions, either restores homeostasis or induces senescence, thus preventing tumorigenesis. (2) Genomic instability, chronic inflammation, p62 accumulation, or increased inflammation associated with tumor initiation and progression under conditions of defective autophagy support a tumor suppressor role for autophagy in cancer progression. b Autophagy as tumor promoter mechanism. (1) ‘Autophagy addiction’, especially observed in hypoxic regions of solid tumors, and decreased anoikis help sustain cancer cell viability by promoting malignant growth and metastasis. (2) The increased cancer cell death, especially in hypoxic regions, and reduction of tumor growth and metastasis observed under conditions of autophagy defects indicate that autophagy is a tumor-promoting mechanism in solid tumors [206]. Copyright (2013), with permission from Elsevier

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