Cytotoxic Effects of Plant Secondary Metabolites and Naturally Occurring Bioactive Peptides on Breast Cancer Model Systems: Molecular Mechanisms

Abstract

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death among women, and the number of mortal cases in diagnosed patients is constantly increasing. The search for new plant compounds with antitumor effects is very important because of the side effects of conventional therapy and the development of drug resistance in cancer cells. The use of plant substances in medicine has been well known for centuries, but the exact mechanism of their action is far from being elucidated. The molecular mechanisms of cytotoxicity exerted by secondary metabolites and bioactive peptides of plant origin on breast cancer cell lines are the subject of this review.

Keywords: MCF7; MDA-MB231; bioactive peptides; breast cancer; cytotoxicity; secondary metabolites.

Figure 1

Main signaling pathways associated with breast cancer transformation.

Figure 2

Molecular interaction mechanisms of suppression of breast cancer survival and mitigation by natural phenylpropanoid glycosides, flavonoids, terpenoids, and coumarins. Structures of compounds are represented by ball and stick diagrams with their charged groups involved in interactions. The structure of myconoside was downloaded from Japan Chemical Substance Dictionary (Nikkaji); the common feature pharmacophores of flavonoids for interaction with Glut 1 represented with green and blue spheres is according to [55]; structures of celastrol and conferone were downloaded from PubChem. Proteins of interactions are represented by ribbons downloaded from PDB illustrated in the context of the processes and pathways in breast cancer cells. Red dashed lines represent the interactions of inhibition of metabolites with target proteins.