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International Journal of Molecular... Jun 2023Malignant tumors remain one of the main sources of morbidity and mortality around the world. A chemotherapeutic approach to cancer treatment poses a multitude of... (Review)
Review
Malignant tumors remain one of the main sources of morbidity and mortality around the world. A chemotherapeutic approach to cancer treatment poses a multitude of challenges, primarily due to the low selectivity and genotoxicity of the majority of chemotherapeutic drugs currently used in the clinical practice, often leading to treatment-induced tumors formation. Highly selective antitumor drugs can largely resolve this issue, but their high selectivity leads to significant drawbacks due to the intrinsic tumor heterogeneity. In contrast, plant polyphenols can simultaneously affect many processes that are involved in the acquiring and maintaining of hallmark properties of malignant cells, and their toxic dose is typically much higher than the therapeutic one. In the present work we describe the mechanisms of the action of polyphenols on cancer cells, including their effects on genetic and epigenetic instability, tumor-promoting inflammation, and altered microbiota.
Topics: Humans; Polyphenols; Neoplasms; Antineoplastic Agents; Inflammation
PubMed: 37445850
DOI: 10.3390/ijms241310663 -
Clinics in Liver Disease Nov 2020Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is increasing in prevalence and is the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Unlike other malignancies, HCC can be... (Review)
Review
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is increasing in prevalence and is the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Unlike other malignancies, HCC can be diagnosed with dynamic imaging with very high accuracy, and tissue diagnosis is not needed for cancer therapy. There is a unique role of established as well as developing biomarkers in diagnosis, prognosis, and management of HCC. Sequencing HCC tumors has yielded substantial insights into HCC tumor biology and has raised the possibility of precision oncology in which therapy decisions are guided by cancer genetics. However, it is not ready for prime time yet.
Topics: Biomarkers; Biomarkers, Tumor; Biopsy; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; Humans; Liquid Biopsy; Liver Neoplasms; Molecular Diagnostic Techniques; Plant Lectins; Precision Medicine; Prognosis; Protein Precursors; Prothrombin; alpha-Fetoproteins
PubMed: 33012446
DOI: 10.1016/j.cld.2020.07.001 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Nov 2023Glycyrrhiza has a long history of applications and a wide range of pharmacological effects. It is known as the "king of all herbs". Glycyrrhiza is effective in clearing... (Review)
Review
Glycyrrhiza has a long history of applications and a wide range of pharmacological effects. It is known as the "king of all herbs". Glycyrrhiza is effective in clearing heat, detoxifying, relieving cough, and tonifying qi and has good bioactivity in multiple inflammatory, immune, and tumor diseases. This review aims to summarize the origin, distribution, and anti-digestive system tumor mechanism of glycyrrhiza and its homologous applications in medicine and food. The active compounds include triterpenoids, flavonoids, and coumarins, which are widely used in clinical treatments, disease prevention, and daily foods because of their "enhancement of efficacy" and "reduction of toxicity" against digestive system tumors. This paper reviews the use of glycyrrhiza in digestive system tumors and provides an outlook on future research and clinical applications.
Topics: Humans; Glycyrrhiza; Plant Extracts; Flavonoids; Triterpenes; Coumarins; Digestive System Neoplasms
PubMed: 38067451
DOI: 10.3390/molecules28237719 -
Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences 2023Leukemic cells acquire complex and often multifactorial mechanisms of resistance to treatment, including various metabolic alterations. Although the use of metabolic... (Review)
Review
Leukemic cells acquire complex and often multifactorial mechanisms of resistance to treatment, including various metabolic alterations. Although the use of metabolic modulators has been proposed for several decades, their use in clinical practice has not been established. Natural products, the so-called botanical drugs, are capable of regulating tumor metabolism, particularly in hematopoietic tumors, which could partly explain the biological activity attributed to them for a long time. This review addresses the most recent findings relating to metabolic reprogramming-Mainly in the glycolytic pathway and mitochondrial activity-Of leukemic cells and its role in the generation of resistance to conventional treatments, the modulation of the tumor microenvironment, and the evasion of immune response. In turn, it describes how the modulation of metabolism by plant-derived extracts can counteract resistance to chemotherapy in this tumor model and contribute to the activation of the antitumor immune system.
PubMed: 37520325
DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1229760 -
Pharmaceutics Jan 2022The number of cancer cases worldwide keeps growing unstoppably, despite the undeniable advances achieved by basic research and clinical practice. Urologic tumors,... (Review)
Review
The number of cancer cases worldwide keeps growing unstoppably, despite the undeniable advances achieved by basic research and clinical practice. Urologic tumors, including some as prevalent as prostate, bladder or kidney tumors, are no exceptions to this rule. Moreover, the fact that many of these tumors are detected in early stages lengthens the duration of their treatment, with a significant increase in health care costs. In this scenario, prevention offers the most cost-effective long-term strategy for the global control of these diseases. Although specialized diets are not the only way to decrease the chances to develop cancer, epidemiological evidence support the role of certain plant-derived foods in the prevention of urologic cancer. In many cases, these plants are rich in antiangiogenic phytochemicals, which could be responsible for their protective or angiopreventive properties. Angiogenesis inhibition may contribute to slow down the progression of the tumor at very different stages and, for this reason, angiopreventive strategies could be implemented at different levels of chemoprevention, depending on the targeted population. In this review, epidemiological evidence supporting the role of certain plant-derived foods in urologic cancer prevention are presented, with particular emphasis on their content in bioactive phytochemicals that could be used in the angioprevention of cancer.
PubMed: 35213989
DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14020256 -
Cancers Oct 2020Antigen-specific immunotherapy and, in particular, DNA vaccination provides an established approach for tackling human papillomavirus (HPV) cancers at different stages.... (Review)
Review
Antigen-specific immunotherapy and, in particular, DNA vaccination provides an established approach for tackling human papillomavirus (HPV) cancers at different stages. DNA vaccines are stable and have a cost-effective production. Their intrinsic low immunogenicity has been improved by several strategies with some success, including fusion of HPV antigens with plant gene sequences. Another approach for the control of HPV cancers is the use of natural immunomodulatory agents like those derived from plants, that are able to interfere in carcinogenesis by modulating many different cellular pathways and, in some instances, to reduce chemo- and radiotherapy resistance of tumors. Indeed, plant-derived compounds represent, in many cases, an abundantly available, cost-effective source of molecules that can be either harvested directly in nature or obtained from plant cell cultures. In this review, an overview of the most relevant data reported in literature on the use of plant natural compounds and genetic vaccines that include plant-derived sequences against HPV tumors is provided. The purpose is also to highlight the still under-explored potential of multimodal treatments implying DNA vaccination along with plant-derived agents.
PubMed: 33114220
DOI: 10.3390/cancers12113101 -
Frontiers in Pharmacology 2023Cancer is a severe health issue, and cancer cases are rising yearly. New anticancer drugs have been developed as our understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind... (Review)
Review
Cancer is a severe health issue, and cancer cases are rising yearly. New anticancer drugs have been developed as our understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind diverse solid tumors, and metastatic malignancies have increased. Plant-derived phytochemical compounds target different oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, protein channels, immune cells, protein channels, and pumps, which have attracted much attention for treating cancer in preclinical studies. Despite the anticancer capabilities of these phytochemical compounds, systemic toxicity, medication resistance, and limited absorption remain more significant obstacles in clinical trials. Therefore, drug combinations of new phytochemical compounds, phytonanomedicine, semi-synthetic, and synthetic analogs should be considered to supplement the existing cancer therapies. It is also crucial to consider different strategies for increased production of phytochemical bioactive substances. The primary goal of this review is to highlight several bioactive anticancer phytochemical compounds found in plants, preclinical research, their synthetic and semi-synthetic analogs, and clinical trials. Additionally, biotechnological and metabolic engineering strategies are explored to enhance the production of bioactive phytochemical compounds. Ligands and their interactions with their putative targets are also explored through molecular docking studies. Therefore, emphasis is given to gathering comprehensive data regarding modern biotechnology, metabolic engineering, molecular biology, and tools.
PubMed: 36969868
DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1136779 -
Cell & Bioscience Oct 2021In modern research, mitochondria are considered a more crucial energy plant in cells. Mitochondrial dysfunction, including mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutation and... (Review)
Review
In modern research, mitochondria are considered a more crucial energy plant in cells. Mitochondrial dysfunction, including mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutation and denatured protein accumulation, is a common feature of tumors. The dysfunctional mitochondria reprogram molecular metabolism and allow tumor cells to proliferate in the hostile microenvironment. One of the crucial signaling pathways of the mitochondrial dysfunction activation in the tumor cells is the retrograde signaling of mitochondria-nucleus interaction, mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPR), which is initiated by accumulation of denatured protein and excess ROS production. In the process of UPR, various components are activitated to enhance the mitochondria-nucleus retrograde signaling to promote carcinoma progression, including hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF), activating transcription factor ATF-4, ATF-5, CHOP, AKT, AMPK. The retrograde signaling molecules of overexpression ATF-5, SIRT3, CREB, SOD1, SOD2, early growth response protein 1 (EGR1), ATF2, CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-d, and CHOP also involved in the process. Targeted blockage of the UPR pathway could obviously inhibit tumor proliferation and metastasis. This review indicates the UPR pathways and its crucial role in targeted therapy of metastasis tumors.
PubMed: 34717757
DOI: 10.1186/s13578-021-00696-0 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Sep 2021Ovarian cancer ranks seventh in the most common malignant tumors among female disease, which seriously threatens female reproductive health. It is characterized by... (Review)
Review
Ovarian cancer ranks seventh in the most common malignant tumors among female disease, which seriously threatens female reproductive health. It is characterized by hidden pathogenesis, missed diagnosis, high reoccurrence rate, and poor prognosis. In clinic, the first-line treatment prioritized debulking surgery with paclitaxel-based chemotherapy. The harsh truth is that female patients are prone to relapse due to the dissemination of tumor cells and drug resistance. In these circumstances, the development of new therapy strategies combined with traditional approaches is conductive to improving the quality of treatment. Among numerous drug resources, botanical compounds have unique advantages due to their potentials in multitarget functions, long application history, and wide availability. Previous studies have revealed the therapeutic effects of bioactive plant components in ovarian cancer. These natural ingredients act as part of the initial treatment or an auxiliary option for maintenance therapy, further reducing the tumor and metastatic burden. In this review, we summarized the functions and mechanisms of natural botanical components applied in human ovarian cancer. We focused on the molecular mechanisms of cell apoptosis, autophagy, RNA and DNA lesion, ROS damage, and the multiple-drug resistance. We aim to provide a theoretical reference for in-depth drug research so as to manage ovarian cancer better in clinic.
Topics: Animals; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; Biological Products; Female; Humans; Ovarian Neoplasms
PubMed: 34641493
DOI: 10.3390/molecules26195949 -
Future Science OA Jul 2019Immunotherapy potentiates a patient's immune response against some forms of cancer, including malignant tumors. In this Special Report, we have summarized the use of... (Review)
Review
Immunotherapy potentiates a patient's immune response against some forms of cancer, including malignant tumors. In this Special Report, we have summarized the use of nanoparticles that have been designed for use in cancer immunotherapy with particular emphasis on plant viruses. Plant virus-based nanoparticles are an ideal choice for therapeutic applications, as these nanoparticles are not only capable of targeting the desired cells but also of being safely delivered to the body without posing any threat of infection. Plant viruses can be taken up by tumor cells and can be functionalized as drug delivery vehicles. This Special Report describes how the future of cancer immunotherapy could be a success through the merger of computer-based technology using plant-virus nanoparticles.
PubMed: 31428448
DOI: 10.2144/fsoa-2019-0001