Metallic elements and their molecular roles in gastric cancer: Pathogenic mechanisms and therapeutic implications

Figure 1 The core mechanism and correlation diagram of metal elements in gastric cancer. It is divided into three modules: (1) Interference between metal pools; (2) Metal steady-state imbalance; and (3) Activation of oncogenic pathways. The models present the pathways and potential associations of individual metals. The image was created using BioRender.com. Akt: Protein kinase B; ATP7α: ATPase copper transporting alpha; ATP7β: ATPase copper transporting beta; CaM: Calmodulin; CaMKII: Ca²⁺/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II; CTR1: Copper transporter 1; Cys: Cysteine; DMT1: Divalent metal transporter 1; MAPK: Mitogen-activated protein kinase; MMPs: Matrix metalloproteinases; NF-κB: Nuclear factor-kappa B; ∙OH: Hydroxyl radical; PI3K: Phosphoinositide 3-kinase; ROS: Reactive oxygen species; ZFPs: Zinc finger proteins; ZIP4: Zrt-and Irt-like protein 4.