Bioactive Compounds of Dietary Origin and Their Influence on Colorectal Cancer as Chemoprevention.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common causes of death and the third most diagnosed cancer worldwide. The tumor microenvironment and cancer stem cells participate in colorectal tumor progression and can dictate malignancy. Nutrition status affects treatment response and the progression or recurrence of the tumor. This review summarizes the main bioactive compounds against the molecular pathways related to colorectal carcinogenesis. Moreover, we focus on the compounds with chemopreventive properties, mainly polyphenols and carotenoids, which are highly studied dietary bioactive compounds present in major types of food, like vegetables, fruits, and seeds. Their proprieties are antioxidant and gut microbiota modulation, important in the intestine because they decrease reactive oxygen species and inflammation, both principal causes of cancer. These compounds can promote apoptosis and inhibit cell growth, proliferation, and migration. Combined with oncologic treatment, a sensitization to first-line colorectal chemotherapy schemes, such as FOLFOX and FOLFIRI, is observed, making them an attractive and natural support in the oncologic treatment of CRC.

Cell Therapy as Target Therapy against Colon Cancer Stem Cells.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small subpopulation of cells within tumors with properties, such as self-renewal, differentiation, and tumorigenicity. CSCs have been proposed as a plausible therapeutic target as they are responsible for tumor recurrence, metastasis, and conventional therapy resistance. Selectively targeting CSCs is a promising strategy to eliminate the propagation of tumor cells and impair overall tumor development. Recent research shows that several immune cells play a crucial role in regulating tumor cell proliferation by regulating different CSC maintenance or proliferation pathways. There have been great advances in cellular immunotherapy using T cells, natural killer (NK) cells, macrophages, or stem cells for the selective targeting of tumor cells or CSCs in colorectal cancer (CRC). This review summarizes the CRC molecular profiles that may benefit from said therapy and the main vehicles used in cell therapy against CSCs. We also discuss the challenges, limitations, and advantages of combining conventional and/or current targeted treatments in the late stages of CRC.