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. 2022 Mar 28;8:135. doi: 10.1038/s41420-022-00936-3

Fig. 8. Diagrammatic representation of anti-cancer mechanism of action of VTD.

Fig. 8

This schematic shows the potential anti-tumorigenic function of VTD in a xenograft mouse model of human cancer created with Biorender.com. A 0.1 mg/kg dose of VTD increases transcription and protein expression of UBXN2A in human cancer cells originated from the epithelial cells lining the colon. Enhanced UBXN2A binds to a well-studied oncoprotein, mortalin, and suppresses mortalin’s tumorigenic functions. Mounting evidence indicates that the inhibition of mortalin leads to cell apoptosis, suppression of cancer stem cells (CSCs), and reduction of drug resistance. Meanwhile, VTD showed no significant toxicity toward vital organs, such as the heart, brain, liver, or lung. Further studies in CRC animal models will pave the way to clinically translate the use of VTD for CRC patients in the near future.