Title:Anticancer Mechanisms of Bioactive Peptides
Volume: 27
Issue: 9
Author(s): Tsuey Ning Soon, Adeline Yoke Yin Chia, Wei Hsum Yap and Yin-Quan Tang*
Affiliation:
- School of Biosciences, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Taylor’s University, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan,Malaysia
Keywords:
Anticancer peptides, anticancer, antitumor, mechanism of action, cytotoxicity, drug resistance, membranolysis.
Abstract: Despite technological advancement, there is no 100% effective treatment against metastatic
cancer. Increasing resistance of cancer cells towards chemotherapeutic drugs along with
detrimental side effects remained a concern. Thus, the urgency in developing new anticancer
agents has been raised. Anticancer peptides have been proven to display potent activity against a
wide variety of cancer cells. Several mode of actions describing their cytostatic and cytotoxic effect
on cancer cells have been proposed which involves cell surface binding leading to membranolysis
or internalization to reach their intracellular target. Understanding the mechanism of action of
these anticancer peptides is important in achieving full therapeutic success. In the present article,
we discuss the anticancer action of peptides accompanied by the mechanisms underpinning their
toxicity to cancer cells.