Gliomas are the most common and malignant primary
tumors of the central nervous system (CNS).
Glioblastomas are the most malignant and aggressive form of
primary brain tumors and account for the majority of
brain tumor-related deaths. The current standard treatment for
gliomas is surgical resection supplemented by postoperative
chemotherapy.
Platinum drugs are a class of chemotherapeutic drugs that affect the cell cycle, and the main site of action is the
DNA of cells, which are common chemotherapeutic drugs in clinical practice.
Chemotherapy with
platinum drugs such as
cisplatin,
carboplatin,
oxaliplatin, or a combination thereof is used to treat a variety of
tumors. However, the results of
gliomas chemotherapy are unsatisfactory, and resistance to
platinum drugs is one of the important reasons. The resistance of
gliomas to
platinum drugs is the result of a combination of influencing factors. Decreased intracellular drug concentration, enhanced function of cell processing active products, enhanced repair ability of cellular DNA damage, and blockage of related apoptosis pathways play an important role in it. It is known that the pathogenic properties of
glioma cells and the response of
glioma towards
platinum-based drugs are strongly influenced by non-coding RNAs, particularly, by
microRNAs (
miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs).
miRNAs and lncRNAs control drug sensitivity and the development of
tumor resistance towards
platinum drugs. This mini-review summarizes the resistance mechanisms of
gliomas to
platinum drugs, as well as molecules and
therapies that can improve the sensitivity of
gliomas to
platinum drugs.