Targeting CD147 is a Novel Strategy for Antitumor Therapy

CD147 is a membrane protein belonging to immunoglobulin superfamily and expressed in the cell membrane, which is also named with an extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN) because this molecule induces adjacent fibroblasts or tumor cells to produce MMPs, facilitating tumor cells migration and invasion. Accumulating evidences have shown that CD147 is over-expressed in various tumors, including melanoma, liver cancer, and lung cancer, and orchestrates tumor cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion and metastasis, multidrug resistance and glycolysis through critical molecules such as MMPs, MCTs, Caveolin-1, and VEGF. In this review, we focus on understanding the characteristics of CD147 in various biological functions, including physiological and pathological processes. Recent novel studies have shown that CD147 is not only a potential diagnostic marker but also a therapeutic target for chemotherapy or the diagnosis of cancer.