Given that NGF plays a significant role in EOC progression, our current findings suggest that metformin holds considerable promise as an adjuvant treatment in ovarian cancer.
The nerve growth factor alters calreticulin translocation from the endoplasmic reticulum to the cell surface and its signaling pathway in epithelial ovarian cancer cells.
Since the NGF-microRNA relationship in pathologies has not been studied, this review proposes that some microRNAs could be associated with NGF/TRKA activation, modifying protein levels needed for EOC progression.
Finally, human ovarian surface epithelial (HOSE) and epithelial ovarian cancer (A2780) cell lines were stimulated with estradiol, where NGF and VEGF protein levels were evaluated.
A significant increase in proliferation, migration and differentiation of EA.hy926 cells was observed with NGF, and this effect was significantly reverted when NGF was immuno-blocked and when a trkA inhibitor was used, showing that NGF is an important angiogenic factor in EOC by activating its trkA receptor.
The abundance of NGF and trkA receptors in epithelial cells of EOC, together with the ability of NGF to increase VEGF expression strongly suggests an autocrine role of NGF in EOC.