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Review
. 2022 Jul 27;27(15):4818.
doi: 10.3390/molecules27154818.

Plants as a Source of Anticancer Agents: From Bench to Bedside

Wamidh H Talib  1 , Safa Daoud  2 , Asma Ismail Mahmod  1 , Reem Ali Hamed  1 , Dima Awajan  1 , Sara Feras Abuarab  1 , Lena Hisham Odeh  1 , Samar Khater  1 , Lina T Al Kury  3
Affiliations
Review

Plants as a Source of Anticancer Agents: From Bench to Bedside

Wamidh H Talib et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Cancer is the second leading cause of death after cardiovascular diseases. Conventional anticancer therapies are associated with lack of selectivity and serious side effects. Cancer hallmarks are biological capabilities acquired by cancer cells during neoplastic transformation. Targeting multiple cancer hallmarks is a promising strategy to treat cancer. The diversity in chemical structure and the relatively low toxicity make plant-derived natural products a promising source for the development of new and more effective anticancer therapies that have the capacity to target multiple hallmarks in cancer. In this review, we discussed the anticancer activities of ten natural products extracted from plants. The majority of these products inhibit cancer by targeting multiple cancer hallmarks, and many of these chemicals have reached clinical applications. Studies discussed in this review provide a solid ground for researchers and physicians to design more effective combination anticancer therapies using plant-derived natural products.

Keywords: alternative cancer therapies; anticancer; apoptosis induction; plant-derived natural products; plants.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Cancer hallmarks with the main regulatory biomarkers. VEGF, vascular endothelial growth factor; VEGFR, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor; EGF, epidermal growth factor; hepatocyte growth factor; ATM, ataxia-telangiectasia mutated; PTEN, phosphatase and tensin homolog; APC, adenomatous polyposis coli; BRCA1 and BRCA2, breast cancer gene 1 and 2; RB, retinoblastoma; WT1, Wilms tumor; CDKs, cyclin-dependent kinase; IGF-1R, insulin-like growth factor receptor; HIF-1, hypoxia-inducible factor-1; HK2, hexokinase 2; PKM2, pyruvate kinase isoform M2; PFKFB3, 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-biphosphatase 3; PD-L1, programmed death ligand 1; MHC, major histocompatibility complex; CD8, cluster of differentiation 8.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The effects of natural products on cancer hallmarks.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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