Cancer chemopreventive and therapeutic effects of diosgenin, a food saponin

Abstract

Cancer chemoprevention is a strategy taken to retard, regress, or resist the multistep process of carcinogenesis, including the blockage of its vital morphogenetic milestones viz. normal-preneoplasia-neoplasia-metastasis. For several reasons, including safety, minimal (or no) toxicity and side-effects, and better availability, alternatives such as naturally occurring phytochemicals that are found in foods are becoming increasingly popular over synthetic drugs. Food saponins have been used in complimentary and traditional medicine against a variety of diseases including several cancers. Diosgenin, a naturally occurring steroid saponin found abundantly in legumes and yams, is a well-known precursor of various synthetic steroidal drugs that are extensively used in the pharmaceutical industry. Over the past decade, a series of preclinical and mechanistic studies have been conducted to understand the role of diosgenin as a chemopreventive/therapeutic agent against several cancers. This review highlights the biological activity of diosgenin that contributes to cancer chemoprevention and control. The anticancer mode of action of diosgenin has been demonstrated via modulation of multiple cell signaling events involving critical molecular candidates associated with growth, differentiation, apoptosis, and oncogenesis. Altogether, these preclinical and mechanistic findings strongly implicate the use of diosgenin as a novel, multitarget-based chemopreventive or therapeutic agent against several cancer types. Future research in this field will help to establish not only whether diosgenin is safe and efficacious as a chemopreventive agent against several human cancers, but also to develop and evaluate standards of evidence for health claims for diosgenin-containing foods as they become increasingly popular and enter the marketplace labeled as functional foods and nutraceuticals.