Targeting Wnt/β-Catenin Pathway for Drug Therapy

Abstract

The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, including canonical or noncanonical pathway, is a highly conserved pathway which can regulate cell proliferation, migration, differentiation, and apoptosis. The Wnt pathway has been shown to undergo aberrant activation in various cancers, particularly colorectal cancer. Wnt-targeted therapy attracted attention in a significant area of developmental therapeutics. Extensive efforts have been made to develop small-molecule drugs to inhibit the pathway for the treatment of various diseases. These small molecules disrupt protein-protein interactions in key parts of the pathway. Here, we review current indications for drug therapy and some problems in the treatment process that may be addressed in future investigations.