尼古丁乙酰胆碱受体（nAChRs）长期以来被认为仅起神经递质介导作用。然而，它们在人体中广泛分布的事实表明其具有更多种多样的生理作用。此外，nAChRs的表达在某些癌症（例如肺癌）中增加，并与细胞增殖、上皮间质转化、血管生成和抗凋亡相关。已经鉴定出多种与这些受体相互作用的化合物作为潜在的治疗药物。它们已经在治疗尼古丁成瘾、酗酒、抑郁症、疼痛和阿尔茨海默病方面作为药物进行了测试。本综述聚焦于nAChR介导的肿瘤信号传导，呈现了基于nAChR的创新抗癌药物发展的机会。它展示了正常和癌细胞中每个nAChR亚单位表达的差异，以突出其在特定案例中的可能参与。总结和批评性地讨论了可能辅助现有癌症治疗的nAChR拮抗剂。我们希望本综述能够激发关于nAChR在癌症中作用的进一步研究，从而有望引发创新的癌症治疗方法的发展。版权所有 © 2023。Elsevier B.V.出版。

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) have long been considered to solely mediate neurotransmission. However, their widespread distribution in the human body suggests a more diverse physiological role. Additionally, the expression of nAChRs is increased in certain cancers, such as lung cancer, and has been associated with cell proliferation, epithelial-to-mesenchymal cell transition, angiogenesis and apoptosis prevention. Several compounds that interact with these receptors have been identified as potential therapeutic agents. They have been tested as drugs for treating nicotine addiction, alcoholism, depression, pain and Alzheimer's disease. This review focuses on nAChR-mediated signalling in cancer, presenting opportunities for the development of innovative nAChR-based anticancer drugs. It displays the differences in expression of each nAChR subunit between normal and cancer cells for selected cancer types, highlighting their possible involvement in specific cases. Antagonists of nAChRs that could complement existing cancer therapies are summarised and critically discussed. We hope that this review will stimulate further research on the role of nAChRs in cancer potentially leading to innovative cancer therapies.Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.