Figure 3.

Sestrins (SESNs) as a therapeutical management of cancer. Natural compounds or synthetic therapeutics lead to changes in SESNs expression in a manner dependent on the type of drug, the target tissue and the metabolic status of cancer cells. Enhanced SESNs expression might result in autophagy activation, leading alternatively to cell death or survival in cancer cells, depending on the differentially induced autophagic program. Some drugs may also reduce sestrins expression in cancer cells, leading to ROS enhancement, mitochondria damage and apoptotic cell death.