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Review
. 2021 Feb 6;22(4):1653.
doi: 10.3390/ijms22041653.

The Anticancer Effect of Natural Plant Alkaloid Isoquinolines

Dahye Yun  1   2 , So Young Yoon  1   2 , Soo Jung Park  3 , Yoon Jung Park  1   2
Affiliations
Review

The Anticancer Effect of Natural Plant Alkaloid Isoquinolines

Dahye Yun et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Isoquinoline alkaloids-enriched herbal plants have been used as traditional folk medicine for their anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and analgesic effects. They induce cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and autophagy, leading to cell death. While the molecular mechanisms of these effects are not fully understood, it has been suggested that binding to nucleic acids or proteins, enzyme inhibition, and epigenetic modulation by isoquinoline alkaloids may play a role in the effects. This review discusses recent evidence on the molecular mechanisms by which the isoquinoline alkaloids can be a therapeutic target of cancer treatment.

Keywords: anticancer; apoptosis; autophagy; cell cycle arrest; epigenetic regulation; isoquinoline alkaloids.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Synthesis of isoquinoline alkaloids.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Examples of isoquinoline alkaloids’ structures.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Molecular pathways involved in anticancer mechanisms.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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