Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2023 Sep;396(9):1867-1878.
doi: 10.1007/s00210-023-02471-z. Epub 2023 Apr 3.

Apoptotic and antimetastatic effect of cucurbitacins in cancer: recent trends and advancement

Ajay Kumar  1 , Bunty Sharma  2 , Ujjawal Sharma  3 , Gaurav Parashar  4 , Nidarshana Chaturvedi Parashar  2 , Isha Rani  5 , Seema Ramniwas  6 , Satwinderjeet Kaur  7 , Shafiul Haque  8   9   10 , Hardeep Singh Tuli  11
Affiliations
Review

Apoptotic and antimetastatic effect of cucurbitacins in cancer: recent trends and advancement

Ajay Kumar et al. Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol. 2023 Sep.

Abstract

The Cucurbitaceae family produces a class of secondary metabolites known as cucurbitacins. The eight cucurbitacin subunits are cucurbitacin B, D, E, I, IIa, L glucoside, Q, and R with the most significant anticancer activity. They are reported to inhibit cell proliferation, invasion, and migration; induce apoptosis; and encourage cell cycle arrest, as some of their modes of action. The JAK-STAT3, Wnt, PI3K/Akt, and MAPK signaling pathways, which are essential for the survival and apoptosis of cancer cells, have also been shown to be suppressed by cucurbitacins. The goal of the current study is to summarize potential molecular targets that cucurbitacins could inhibit in order to suppress various malignant processes. The review is noteworthy since it presents all putative molecular targets for cucurbitacins in cancer on a single podium.

Keywords: Antimetastatic; Apoptosis; Cell cycle arrest; Cucurbitacins; Invasion.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Abdelwahab S. I., Hassan L. E. A., Sirat H. M., Yagi S. M. A., Koko W. S., Mohan S., Taha M. M. E., Ahmad S., Chuen C. S., Narrima P., Rais M. M., Hadi A. H. A. (2011). Anti-inflammatory activities of cucurbitacin E isolated from Citrullus lanatus var. citroides: role of reactive nitrogen species and cyclooxygenase enzyme inhibition. Fitoterapia, 82(8), 1190–1197. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fitote.2011.08.002
    1. Abdu S., Juaid N., Amin A., Moulay M., Miled N. (2022). Effects of Sorafenib and Quercetin Alone or in Combination in Treating Hepatocellular Carcinoma: In Vitro and In Vivo Approaches. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 27(22). https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27228082
    1. Aguiñiga-Sánchez I., Soto-Hernández M., Cadena-Iñiguez J., Suwalsky M., Colina J. R., Castillo I., Rosado-Pérez J., Mendoza-Núñez V. M., Santiago-Osorio E. (2020). Phytochemical Analysis and Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Capacity of the Extracts of Fruits of the Sechium Hybrid. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 25(20). https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25204637
    1. al Shamsi M., Amin A., Adeghate E. 2006 Vitamin E Ameliorates Some Biochemical Parameters in Normal and Diabetic Rats Ann N. Y. Acad Sci 1084 1 411 431 https://doi.org/10.1196/annals.1372.033
    1. Alafnan A., Alamri A., Hussain T., Rizvi S. M. D. (2022). Cucurbitacin-B Exerts Anticancer Effects through Instigation of Apoptosis and Cell Cycle Arrest within Human Prostate Cancer PC3 Cells via Downregulating JAK/STAT Signaling Cascade. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland), 15(10). https://doi.org/10.3390/ph15101229

LinkOut - more resources