Potassium channels as novel molecular targets in hepatocellular carcinoma (Review)

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) poses a serious health burden worldwide. It is often not diagnosed until the patient is at an advanced stage of the disease, when treatment options are limited and the prognosis is poor. Therefore, novel treatment strategies are urgently required. Potassium (K(+)) channels have an important role in HCC, including regulating the proliferation, migration, invasion and drug resistance of HCC cells. The aim of the present review was therefore to survey the relevant publications that have investigated K(+) channels not only as markers for the early diagnosis of HCC, but also as potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of HCC. Several of these channels have been indicated to be the sites of action for natural products previously known to inhibit HCC; however, more systematic studies are required to determine which K(+) channels may be utilized for the clinical treatment of HCC, particularly in the advanced stages of the disease and in cases where patients are resistant to the existing drugs.