Peroxiredoxins: regulatory roles and potential clinical significances in breast cancer

Breast cancer (BC) is among the most prevalent malignant tumors affecting women, with a persistently high mortality rate. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) significantly contribute to BC progression by damaging cellular components and activating oncogenic signaling pathways. Peroxiredoxins (Prdxs), a crucial class of antioxidant enzymes, regulate cellular redox homeostasis and play dual roles in cancer development and progression. Substantial progress has been achieved in studying Prdxs in cancers such as cervical cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, and lung cancer; however, a comprehensive understanding of roles for Prdxs in BC remains lacking. This paper reviews the differential expression and functional characteristics of Prdxs across various molecular subtypes of BC, with a particular focus on triple-negative BC. Moreover, aberrant Prdxs expression is strongly associated with poor prognosis, chemoresistance, and increased invasiveness in BC patients. Given the pivotal roles of Prdxs in BC, investigating therapeutic strategies targeting Prdxs and related ROS levels is imperative. Additionally, combining such approaches with immunotherapy highlights the potential implication of Prdxs in precision cancer therapy.