Introduction: Free radicals are reactive oxygen species that constantly circulate through the body and occur as a side effect of many reactions that take place in the human body. Under normal conditions, they are removed from the body by antioxidant processes. If these natural mechanisms are disrupted, radicals accumulate in excess and contribute to the development of many diseases. Methodology: Relevant recent information on oxidative stress, free radicals, reactive oxidative species, and natural and synthetic antioxidants was collected by researching electronic databases such as PubMed / Medline, Web of Science, and Science Direct. Results: According to the analysed studies, this comprehensive review provided a recent update on oxidative stress, free radicals and antioxidants and their impact on the pathophysiology of human diseases. Discussion: To counteract the condition of oxidative stress, synthetic antioxidants must be provided from external sources to supplement the antioxidant defense mechanism internally. Because of their therapeutic potential and natural origin, medicinal plants have been reported as the main source of natural antioxidants phytocompounds. Some non-enzymatic phytocompounds such as flavonoids, polyphenols, and glutathione, along with some vitamins have been reported to possess strong antioxidant activities in vivo and in vitro studies. Thus, the present review describes, in brief, the overview of oxidative stress-directed cellular damage and the unction of dietary antioxidants in the management of different diseases. The therapeutic limitations in correlating the antioxidant activity of foods to human health were also discussed.
Alternariol is a toxic metabolite of Alternaria fungi and studies have shown multiple potential pharmacological effects. To outline the anticancer effects and mechanisms of alternariol and its derivatives based on database reports, an updated search of PubMed/MedLine, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Scopus databases was performed with relevant keywords for published articles. The studies found to suggest that this mycotoxin and/or its derivatives have potential anticancer effects in many pharmacological preclinical test systems. Scientific reports indicate that alternariol and/or its derivatives exhibit anticancer through several pathways, including cytotoxic, reactive oxygen species leading to oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction-linked cytotoxic effect, anti-inflammatory, cell cycle arrest, apoptotic cell death, genotoxic and mutagenic, anti-proliferative, autophagy, and estrogenic and clastogenic mechanisms. In light of these results, alternariol may be one of the hopeful chemotherapeutic agents.
Morusin is a natural product that has been isolated from the bark of Morus alba, a species of mulberry tree. It belongs to the flavonoid family of chemicals, which is abundantly present in the plant world and is recognized for its wide range of biological activities. Morusin has a number of biological characteristics, including anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, neuro-protective, and antioxidant capabilities. Morusin has exhibited anti-tumor properties in many different forms of cancer, including breast, prostate, gastric, hepatocarcinoma, glioblastoma, and pancreatic cancer. Potential of morusin as an alternative treatment method for resistant malignancies needs to be explored in animal models in order to move toward clinical trials. In the recent years several novel findings regarding the therapeutic potential of morusin have been made. This aim of this review is to provide an overview of the present understanding of morusin's beneficial effects on human health as well as provide a comprehensive and up-to-date discussion of morusin's anti-cancer properties with a special focus on in vitro and in vivo studies. This review will aid future research on the creation of polyphenolic medicines in the prenylflavone family, for the management and treatment of cancers.
Sulforaphane (SFN) is an isothiocyanate with multiple biomedical applications. Sulforaphane can be extracted from the plants of the genus Brassica. However, broccoli sprouts are the chief source of sulforaphane and are 20 to 50 times richer than mature broccoli as they contain 1,153 mg/100 g. SFN is a secondary metabolite that is produced as a result of the hydrolysis of glucoraphanin (a glucosinolate) by the enzyme myrosinase. This review paper aims to summarize and understand the mechanisms behind the anticancer potential of sulforaphane. The data was collected by searching PubMed/MedLine, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. This paper concludes that sulforaphane provides cancer protection through the alteration of various epigenetic and non-epigenetic pathways. It is a potent anticancer phytochemical that is safe to consume with minimal side effects. However, there is still a need for further research regarding SFN and the development of a standard dose.
Spermidine is a naturally occurring polyamine compound found in semen. It is also found in several plant sources and boasts a remarkable biological profile, particularly with regards to its anticancer properties. Spermidine specifically interferes with the tumour cell cycle, resulting in the inhibition of tumor cell proliferation and suppression of tumor growth. Moreover, it also triggers autophagy by regulating key oncologic pathways. The increased intake of polyamines, such as spermidine, can suppress oncogenesis and slow the growth of tumors due to its role in anticancer immunosurveillance and regulation of polyamine metabolism. Spermidine/spermine N-1-acetyltransferase (SSAT) plays a critical role in polyamine homeostasis and serves as a diagnostic marker in human cancers. Chemically modified derivatives of spermidine hold great potential for prognostic, diagnostic, and therapeutic applications against various malignancies. This review discusses in detail the recent findings that support the anticancer mechanisms of spermidine and its molecular physiology.
With the advent of highly effective plant-based medications with few or no side effects, the use of phytomedicines against complex diseases such as cancer is becoming more widespread. The broadly recognized pentacyclic triterpenes known as boswellic acids (BAs) are derived from the oleogum resin, or frankincense, extracted from the plant species of the genus Boswellia. The frankincense mixture contains various BA types, each having a different potential and helping treat certain cancers. This review focuses on details regarding the traits of the BAs, their roles as anti-cancer agents, the mechanism underlying their activities, and the function of their semi-synthetic derivatives in managing and treating certain cancers. The review also explores the biological sources of BAs, how they are conserved, and how biotechnology might help preserve and improve in vitro BA production. The review concludes that the BAs and their semi-synthetic derivatives are effective against a broad spectrum of cancer cell lines. The detailed information in the review can be helpful for researchers to gain more information about BAs and BA-based medications for efficient and cost-effective cancer treatments.
Anthocyanins are colored polyphenolic compounds that belong to the flavonoids family and are largely present in many vegetables and fruits. They have been used in traditional medicine in many cultures for a long time. The most common and abundant anthocyanins are those presenting an O-glycosylation at C-3 (C ring) of the flavonoid skeleton to form -O-β-glucoside derivatives. The present comprehensive review summarized recent data on the anticancer properties of cyanidings along with natural sources, phytochemical data, traditional medical applications, molecular mechanisms and recent nanostrategies to increase the bioavailability and anticancer effects of cyanidins. For this analysis, in vitro, in vivo and clinical studies published up to the year 2022 were sourced from scientific databases and search engines such as PubMed/Medline, Google scholar, Web of Science, Scopus, Wiley and TRIP database. Cyanidins' antitumor properties are exerted during different stages of carcinogenesis and are based on a wide variety of biological activities. The data gathered and discussed in this review allows for affirming that cyanidins have relevant anticancer activity in vitro, in vivo and clinical studies. Future research should focus on studies that bring new data on improving the bioavailability of anthocyanins and on conducting detailed translational pharmacological studies to accurately establish the effective anticancer dose in humans as well as the correct route of administration.
Artemisinin (ART) is a bioactive compound isolated from the plant Artemisia annua and has been traditionally used to treat conditions such as malaria, cancer, viral infections, bacterial infections, and some cardiovascular diseases, especially in Asia, North America, Europe and other parts of the world. This comprehensive review aims to update the biomedical potential of ART and its derivatives for treating human diseases highlighting its pharmacokinetic and pharmacological properties based on the results of experimental pharmacological studies in vitro and in vivo. Cellular and molecular mechanisms of action, tested doses and toxic effects of artemisinin were also described. The analysis of data based on an up-to-date literature search showed that ART and its derivatives display anticancer effects along with a wide range of pharmacological activities such as antibacterial, antiviral, antimalarial, antioxidant and cardioprotective effects. These compounds have great potential for discovering new drugs used as adjunctive therapies in cancer and various other diseases. Detailed translational and experimental studies are however needed to fully understand the pharmacological effects of these compounds.
Being the first or second cause of death worldwide, cancer represents the most significant clinical, social, and financial burden of any human illness. Despite recent progresses in cancer diagnosis and management, traditional cancer chemotherapies have shown several adverse side effects and loss of potency due to increased resistance. As a result, one of the current approaches is on with the search of bioactive anticancer compounds from natural sources. Neopeltolide is a marine-derived macrolide isolated from deep-water sponges collected off Jamaica's north coast. Its mechanism of action is still under research but represents a potentially promising novel drug for cancer therapy. In this review, we first illustrate the general structural characterization of neopeltolide, the semi-synthetic derivatives, and current medical applications. In addition, we reviewed its anticancer properties, primarily based on in vitro studies, and the possible clinical trials. Finally, we summarize the recent progress in the mechanism of antitumor action of neopeltolide. According to the information presented, we identified two principal challenges in the research, i) the effective dose which acts neopeltolide as an anticancer compound, and ii) to unequivocally establish the mechanism of action by which the compound exerts its antiproliferative effect.