Fig. 1: Quiescent CSCs are responsible for refractoriness to chemotherapies via crosstalk of chemical and mechanical signals from TME components, including hypoxia, ECM, CAFs, and matrix stiffness.
From: The metabolic flexibility of quiescent CSC: implications for chemotherapy resistance
Through the utilization of antioxidants and available metabolic substrates, CSCs “equips” themselves with metabolic flexibility to maintain themselves quiescent in response to stress and different metabolic austerity. Crucially, inhibition of the morbidly-activated metabolic pathways on which quiescent CSCs are dependent, show promises on chemotherapy sensitization.
