Title: Coagulation and Cancer Therapy: The Potential of Natural Compounds
Volume: 6
Issue: 6
Author(s): G. Z. Justo and C. V. Ferreira
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Natural compounds, metastasis, blood coagulation, cancer therapy, angiogenesis
Abstract: In the past few years, it has become clear that the processes of cancer metastasis and invasion are highly dependent on components of the blood coagulation cascade. Metastasis is critically dependent on the formation of new blood vessels and the role of many blood-clotting factors in tumor angiogenesis has been extensively studied. Angiogenesis constitutes an important point in the control of cancer progression and in recent years much attention has been paid to the development of antiangiogenic agents. Natural compounds constitute a promising alternative for application in antiangiogenesis therapy due to their multiple mechanisms of action. Moreover, they can be used as templates for the production of analogues with enhanced activity. In this review, the potential of natural compounds to target blood coagulation cascades and to prevent tumor growth will be highlighted in view of their underlying mechanisms.
