Exploring the therapeutic and anti-tumor properties of morusin: a review of recent advances

Abstract

Morusin is a natural product that has been isolated from the bark of Morus alba, a species of mulberry tree. It belongs to the flavonoid family of chemicals, which is abundantly present in the plant world and is recognized for its wide range of biological activities. Morusin has a number of biological characteristics, including anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, neuro-protective, and antioxidant capabilities. Morusin has exhibited anti-tumor properties in many different forms of cancer, including breast, prostate, gastric, hepatocarcinoma, glioblastoma, and pancreatic cancer. Potential of morusin as an alternative treatment method for resistant malignancies needs to be explored in animal models in order to move toward clinical trials. In the recent years several novel findings regarding the therapeutic potential of morusin have been made. This aim of this review is to provide an overview of the present understanding of morusin's beneficial effects on human health as well as provide a comprehensive and up-to-date discussion of morusin's anti-cancer properties with a special focus on in vitro and in vivo studies. This review will aid future research on the creation of polyphenolic medicines in the prenylflavone family, for the management and treatment of cancers.

Keywords: anti-cancer activity; morusin; natural compound; polyphenol; resistant malignancies.

FIGURE 1

Schematic diagram of review methodology.

FIGURE 2

The flavonoid morusin contains a flavone core substituted at 5, 2′, and 4′by hydroxy groups, a prenyl core at 3, and a 2,2-dimethyl pyran core at 7 and 8.

FIGURE 3

Compounds with the structural arrangement similar to morusin are; (A) cyclomorusin A, (B) Cycloartomunin, (C) 5-hydroxy-3-(4-hydroxy-3-methyl-but-2-enyl)-8,8-dimethyl-2-(2,4,5-trihydroxy-phenyl)-8H-pyrano [2,3-f]chromen-4-one, (D) 2-(2,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)-5-hydroxy-8-(hydroxymethyl)-8-methyl-3-(3-methylbut-2-en-1-yl)-4H, 8H-pyrano [2,3-F]chromen-4-one, (E) Isocycloheterophyllin.

FIGURE 4

Mechanism of action of morusin to promote apoptosis and autophagy and inhibit tumor survival. Morusin may have potential as a cancer therapeutic agent through its ability to target multiple signaling pathways. The black arrows depict the direct effect of morusin treatment on the protein and the process. Morusin upregulates apoptosis and autophagy in tumor cells through the activation of the ERK/JNK pathway as well as increasing ROS within the cells. Morusin also downregulates tumor survival through inhibiting NF-Κb and PI3K. (Abbreviations: BCL2: B-cell lymphoma-2, ERK: Extracellular signal-regulated kinase, JNK: c-Jun N-terminal Kinase, MAPK: Mitogen-activated protein kinases, PI3K: Phosphoinositide 3-kinases, NF-Κb: Nuclear factor kappa B, PARP: Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase and mTOR: mammalian target of rapamycin.).