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Retinoic Acids in Cancer Therapy

Mechanisms of Sensitivity, Resistance, and Methods of Delivery

  • 1st Edition, Volume 23 - March 13, 2026
  • Latest edition
  • Editors: Saeid Ghavami, Ali Zarrabi, Marco Cordani
  • Language: English

Retinoic Acids in Cancer Therapy: Mechanisms of Sensitivity, Resistance, and Methods of Delivery provides an overview of how All-Trans Retinoic Acid (ATRA) kills cancer cells and… Read more

Description

Retinoic Acids in Cancer Therapy: Mechanisms of Sensitivity, Resistance, and Methods of Delivery provides an overview of how All-Trans Retinoic Acid (ATRA) kills cancer cells and how some cells survive treatment. Focusing on the cellular pathways and compartments involved in ATRA-mediated inhibition of proliferation, this book also discusses how aggressive tumors develop escape routes conferring retinoic acid resistance.

Across 15 chapters, it describes the molecular structure and biological properties of ATRA, explains mechanisms of resistance, and defines ATRA’s efficacy in seven cancer types. It concludes with chapters on ATRA and cancer stem cell biology, strategies to improve treatment, future therapeutic perspectives, and delivery methods to reduce toxicity and enhance anticancer efficacy.

Each chapter includes Learning Objectives and a “What We Learn” section, making the book highly accessible for undergraduate, graduate trainees, scientists, physicians, and biotech companies. Adding simple, attractive schemes and informative tables makes it ideal for all interested in the current status of Retinoic Acids in Cancer Therapy. This book serves as a valuable resource for health professionals, scientists, researchers, clinical practitioners, and all those seeking to broaden their knowledge and develop new drugs or therapeutic strategies to improve ATRA’s efficacy in the treatment of resistant cancers.

Key features

  • Includes Learning Objectives and “What We Learn” sections in every chapter
  • Presents concise schematic figures illustrating apoptotic and autophagic pathways
  • Explains the interplay of apoptosis (intrinsic and extrinsic) and autophagy in ATRA-induced cell death
  • Discusses autophagy targeting to enhance ATRA effectiveness
  • Examines cancer stem cell fate modulation with ATRA
  • Highlights future directions and delivery strategies to minimize off-target effects

Readership

Researchers and graduate students on cancer research and bioinformatics, oncologists, Clinical researchers, including cell biologists, physicians, pharmacologists and students

Table of contents

1 Molecular structure and biological properties of all-trans retinoic acid
Mazaher Ahmadi

2 Emerging frontiers in drug development of all-trans retinoic acid and its derivatives
Ivan Iurchenko, Yevhen Pruhlo

3 Cellular and molecular determinants of all trans retinoic acid sensitivity in different cancers
Kajetan Kielbowski, Estera Bakinowska, Noushin Taghavi, Sanaz Dastghaib, Sanaz Vakili

4 Apoptosis, autophagy, and unfolded protein response and their impact on all-trans retinoic acid-induced toxicity in cancer cells
Fariba Fayazbakhsh, Mohsen Mohammadi, Fatemeh Fayazbakhsh, Roham Saberi, Bhavya Bhushan, Uttra Bhushan, Farhad Tabasi, Saeid Ghavami

5 Mechanisms of resistance to all-trans retinoic acid and use of multi-target-directed ligand to fight against resistance
Leah Duong, Stevan Pecic

6 Nanocarrier systems for targeted delivery of all-trans retinoic acid: design and mechanisms
Parisa Heydari, Pouya Javaherchi

7 Advanced delivery systems for all-trans retinoic acid: challenges and opportunities in pharmacokinetics and bioavailability
Rute Lourenço, Bárbara Marques, Francisco Branco, Maria Mendes, João Sousa, Alberto Pais, Carla Vitorino

8 Mechanisms of sensitivity, resistance, and methods of delivery
Sarah Miremadi, Mohammad Taleb, Nazila Fathi Maroufi, Najibeh Shekari, Mahnaz Sadeghi, Fatemeh Sadat Nojabaei, Farzaneh Sadeghi, Moustapha Hassan, Massoud Vosough

9 Efficiency of all-trans retinoic acid on gastric cancer
Maral Hajipour, Khatere Mokhtari, Maryam Peymani

10 All-trans retinoic acid and its role in glioblastoma therapy
Nitesh Sanghai, Ahmad Ayadi, Hamid Lativi-Navid, Mehrafarin Ashiri, Ahmad Pour-Rashidi, Amir Barzegar Behrooz

11 All-trans retinoic acid and vitamin A in neurodegeneration: from oncology to neuroprotection
Teng Guan

12 Efficiency of all-trans retinoic acid in liver cancer
Abdolamir Allameh, Marco Cordani, Reyhaneh Niayesh-Mehr, Mina Allameh, Sahel Sarabandi

13 Efficiency of all-trans retinoic acid on colon cancer
Laleh Shariati, Fatemeh Hajibabaie, Navid Abedpoor

14 Retinoic acids in head and neck cancer therapy: mechanisms of sensitivity, resistance, and methods of delivery
Oriana Barros, Lúcio Lara Santos, Vito G. D’Agostino, Rita Ferreira, Rui Vitorino

15 Role of artificial intelligence and machine learning in predicting all-trans retinoic acid treatment outcomes
Kianoosh Naghibzadeh, Iman Beheshti

Product details

  • Edition: 1
  • Latest edition
  • Volume: 23
  • Published: March 13, 2026
  • Language: English

About the editors

SG

Saeid Ghavami

Dr. Ghavami completed his undergraduate training MSc and PhD in clinical biochemistry. He is a cancer biologist and his research focusses on the importance of cross talk of three key cellular stress [apoptosis, autophagy and unfolded protein response (UPR)] in regulation of chemotherapy response in cancer cells including Glioblastoma, Rhabdomyosarcoma and non-small cell lung adenocarcinoma. Dr. Ghavami is currently honorary professor and co-founder of Autophagy Research Centre at Shiraz University of Medical Science and Tehran University of Medical Sciences, honorary professor at Katowice School of Technology, Poland. He is associate editor of BBA-Mol Basis of Disease, Molecular Neurobiology, BB Reports and IJMS.
Affiliations and expertise
Honorary Professor and Co-founder, Autophagy Research Centre, Shiraz University of Medical Science and Tehran University of Medical Sciences; Honorary Professor, Katowice School of Technology, Poland

AZ

Ali Zarrabi

Ali Zarrabi is an associate professor and principal investigator in the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Istinye University, Turkey. Trained as a chemical engineer (BSc and MSc) with a PhD in nanobiotechnology, he leads a research program at the interface of supramolecular chemistry, bioengineering, and nanomedicine to develop smart nano/biomaterials for simultaneous diagnosis and treatment of disease, with a particular focus on nanotheranostics, advanced wound dressings, skin patches, and translational nanomedicine.

Affiliations and expertise
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Istinye University, Istanbul, Turkey

MC

Marco Cordani

Marco Cordani obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Verona, working on the implication of mutated p53 proteins in metabolism and autophagy. Later, he has performed two postdoctoral stays, one at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (2017) and another at the IMDEA Nanociencia (2018-2020), working on novel nanomedicine and gene editing strategies to counteract cancer. Currently, Postdoctoral Researcher at the University “Claude Bernard” Lyon 1, characterizing the involvement of dependence receptors in cell death and metabolism.
Affiliations and expertise
Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas (Ciencias Biológicas), Madrid, Spain

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