Affiliation:
1. Department of Zoology, College of Basic Science and Humanities Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology Bhubaneswar India
2. Post Graduate Department of Botany Utkal University Bhubaneswar India
3. Post Graduate Department of Botany Berhampur University Berhampur India
4. King Fahd Medical Research Center King Abdulaziz University Jeddah Saudi Arabia
5. Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences King Abdulaziz University Jeddah Saudi Arabia
Abstract
AbstractSuperoxide dismutase (SOD) is a crucial enzyme responsible for the redox homeostasis inside the cell. As a part of the antioxidant defense system, it plays a pivotal role in the dismutation of the superoxide radicals () generated mainly by the oxidative phosphorylation, which would otherwise bring out the redox dysregulation, leading to higher reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and, ultimately, cell transformation, and malignancy. Several studies have shown the involvement of ROS in a wide range of human cancers. As SOD is the key enzyme in regulating ROS, any change, such as a transcriptional change, epigenetic remodeling, functional alteration, and so forth, either activates the proto‐oncogenes or aberrant signaling cascades, which results in cancer. Interestingly, in some cases, SODs act as tumor promoters instead of suppressors. Furthermore, SODs have also been known to switch their role during tumor progression. In this review, we have tried to give a comprehensive account of SODs multifactorial role in various human cancers so that SODs‐based therapeutic strategies could be made to thwart cancers.