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Current Status and Perspectives Regarding LNA‐Anti‐miR Oligonucleotides and microRNA miR‐21 Inhibitors as a Potential Therapeutic Option in Treatment of Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is among the leading causes of cancer‐related death, principally due to its metastatic spread and multifactorial chemoresistance. The therapeutic failure can also be explained by inter‐ or intra‐tumor genetic heterogeneity and tumor stromal content. Thus, the identification of novel prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic options are warranted in the management of CRC patients. There are data showing that microRNA‐21 is elevated in different types of cancer, particularly colon adenocarcinoma and that this is association with a poor prognosis. This suggests that microRNA‐21 may be of value as a potential therapeutic target. Furthermore, locked nucleic acid (LNA)‐modified oligonucleotides have recently emerged as a therapeutic option for targeting dysregulated miRNAs in cancer therapy, through antisense‐based gene silencing. Further work is required to identify innovative anticancer drugs that improve the current therapy either through novel combinatorial approaches or with better efficacy than conventional drugs. We aimed to provide an overview of the preclinical and clinical studies targeting key dysregulated signaling pathways in CRC as well as the therapeutic application of LNA‐modified oligonucleotides, and miR inhibitors in the treatment of CRC patients. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 4129–4140, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.