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Review
. 2022 Jun 8;20(6):386.
doi: 10.3390/md20060386.

Antitumor Potential of Immunomodulatory Natural Products

Genoveffa Nuzzo  1 , Giuseppina Senese  1 , Carmela Gallo  1 , Federica Albiani  1 , Lucia Romano  1 , Giuliana d'Ippolito  1 , Emiliano Manzo  1 , Angelo Fontana  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Antitumor Potential of Immunomodulatory Natural Products

Genoveffa Nuzzo et al. Mar Drugs. .

Abstract

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death globally. Anticancer drugs aim to block tumor growth by killing cancerous cells in order to prevent tumor progression and metastasis. Efficient anticancer drugs should also minimize general toxicity towards organs and healthy cells. Tumor growth can also be successfully restrained by targeting and modulating immune response. Cancer immunotherapy is assuming a growing relevance in the fight against cancer and has recently aroused much interest for its wider safety and the capability to complement conventional chemotherapeutic approaches. Natural products are a traditional source of molecules with relevant potential in the pharmacological field. The huge structural diversity of metabolites with low molecular weight (small molecules) from terrestrial and marine organisms has provided lead compounds for the discovery of many modern anticancer drugs. Many natural products combine chemo-protective and immunomodulant activity, thus offering the potential to be used alone or in association with conventional cancer therapy. In this review, we report the natural products known to possess antitumor properties by interaction with immune system, as well as discuss the possible immunomodulatory mechanisms of these molecules.

Keywords: anticancer; antitumor; immunomodulators; marine products; natural products.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The “immune synapse”: APC: antigen presenting-cell; PD-L1: programmed death ligand-1; PD-1: programmed death-1; CTLA-4: cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4; TCR: T cell receptor; MHC: major histocompatibily complex; CD28, CD40, CD40L, CD80/86: cluster of differentiation.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Terpenes from plants with anticancer and immunomodulatory properties.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Phenolic compounds from plant with anticancer and immunomodulatory properties.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Potential active compounds from spices (black pepper, cardamom, and curcuma).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Triterpenoid compounds from macromycetes with anticancer and immunomodulatory properties.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Potential anticancer and immunomodulatory compounds from propolis.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Anticancer and immunomodulatory compounds from marine environment.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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