Glucocorticoids and Angiogenesis

About this talk

Glucocorticoids are steroid hormones produced by the adrenal cortex in a circadian manner and they participate in many physiological and pathological processes. Due to their angiostatic property, synthetic glucocorticoids are often added to regimens for cancer treatment. The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) has recently been shown to modulate Wnt signaling in endothelial cells and Wnt/β-catenin signaling has been demonstrated to be crucial in the process of angiogenesis. In this session we will review recent literature regarding the use of steroids in the treatment of solid tumors. We will also discuss recent data showing enhanced angiogenesis in GR deficiency, and its associated Wnt-signaling dependency, derived from mouse models with both endothelial GR knockout and suppressed Wnt signaling. The interactions between GR, Wnt signaling and autophagy flux will be considered.