Paraptosis, a new type of cell death that can be applied to cancer treatment.
6 affiliations
- 1Department of Orthopedics, Junlian County People's Hospital, Yibin, Sichuan, China.
- 2West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
- 3Department of Breast Surgery, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, Sichuan, China.
- 4Department of Oncology, 3201 Hospital, Hanzhong, China.
- 5Department of Breast Surgery, Yibin First People's Hospital, Yibin, Sichuan, China.
- 6Department of Breast Surgery, Junlian County People's Hospital, Yibin, Sichuan, China.
Abstract
Paraptosis is a form of non-apoptotic cell death characterized by cytoplasmic vacuolization and swelling of the mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Recent studies have demonstrated that inducing paraptosis in cancer cells can circumvent apoptosis resistance and synergize with other forms of cell death and tumor immunity, providing a novel strategy for anti-tumor therapy. The underlying mechanism of paraptosis involves ER stress triggered by inducers, leading to the swelling of the ER and mitochondria. This subsequently alters the cytoskeleton and disrupts molecular processes, such as calcium (Ca²⁺) homeostasis, ultimately causing cytoplasmic vacuolization and cell death. Unlike other forms of programmed cell death, paraptosis is caspase-independent and is marked by mitochondrial and ER swelling, along with extensive cytoplasmic vacuolization, without nuclear pyknosis or cell membrane rupture. Various natural compounds, chemical agents, and nanomedicines have been shown to induce paraptosis, which also holds potential in immunotherapy by promoting immunogenic cell death (ICD) and systemic anti-tumor responses. Thus, in cases where cancer cells evade and develop resistance to conventional pro-apoptotic therapies, paraptosis induction offers an alternative therapeutic approach. A comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying paraptosis and its targeted induction may facilitate the development of novel cancer treatments. This paper explores the impact of paraptosis on cancer cells, the mechanisms by which different drugs induce paraptosis, and the potential applications of paraptosis in cancer therapy.
Related
- Cell death-based treatment of ovarian cancer.
- Cell Death of Human Polymorphonuclear Neutrophils Induced by a Pseudomonas aeruginosa Cystic Fibrosis Isolate Requires a Functional Type III Secretion System
- Cell death pathways and targeting therapeutics in cancer therapy
- Inflammatory cell death in cancer: linking pyroptosis, necroptosis, ferroptosis, PANoptosis, and antitumor immunity
- xNNPCD identifies regulators of programmed cell death by integrating perturbation transcriptomes with cancer dependency profiles
BibTeX
@article{wang2026paraptosis,
title = {{Paraptosis, a new type of cell death that can be applied to cancer treatment.}},
author = {Xudong Wang and Jiaxing Ma and Bowen Tan and Yang Wang and Zhengwan Wang and Chunlan Hou and Qingjuan Chen and Xiang Jin},
journal = {Frontiers in oncology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fonc.2026.1959542},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42898690},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Paraptosis, a new type of cell death that can be applied to cancer treatment.
AU - Xudong Wang
AU - Jiaxing Ma
AU - Bowen Tan
AU - Yang Wang
AU - Zhengwan Wang
AU - Chunlan Hou
AU - Qingjuan Chen
AU - Xiang Jin
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/05
JO - Frontiers in oncology
DO - 10.3389/fonc.2026.1959542
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42898690
AB - Paraptosis is a form of non-apoptotic cell death characterized by cytoplasmic vacuolization and swelling of the mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Recent studies have demonstrated that inducing paraptosis in cancer cells can circumvent apoptosis resistance and synergize with other forms of cell death and tumor immunity, providing a novel strategy for anti-tumor therapy. The underlying mechanism of paraptosis involves ER stress triggered by inducers, leading to the swelling of the ER and mitochondria. This subsequently alters the cytoskeleton and disrupts molecular processes, such as calcium (Ca²⁺) homeostasis, ultimately causing cytoplasmic vacuolization and cell death. Unlike other forms of programmed cell death, paraptosis is caspase-independent and is marked by mitochondrial and ER swelling, along with extensive cytoplasmic vacuolization, without nuclear pyknosis or cell membrane rupture. Various natural compounds, chemical agents, and nanomedicines have been shown to induce paraptosis, which also holds potential in immunotherapy by promoting immunogenic cell death (ICD) and systemic anti-tumor responses. Thus, in cases where cancer cells evade and develop resistance to conventional pro-apoptotic therapies, paraptosis induction offers an alternative therapeutic approach. A comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying paraptosis and its targeted induction may facilitate the development of novel cancer treatments. This paper explores the impact of paraptosis on cancer cells, the mechanisms by which different drugs induce paraptosis, and the potential applications of paraptosis in cancer therapy.
SN - 2234-943X
ER -