Title:Therapeutic Application of Natural Medicine Monomers in Cancer Treatment
Volume: 24
Issue: 34
Author(s): Chen Zhong , Nathan R. Wall , Yuangang Zu and Guangchao Sui*
Affiliation:
- College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, 26 Hexing Road, Harbin 150040,China
Keywords:
Anti-cancer activity, apoptosis, cancer therapy, cell cycle arrest, natural medicine monomer, signaling
pathway.
Abstract: Background: Natural medicine monomers (NMMs) isolated from plants have been
recognized for their roles in treating different human diseases including cancers. Many NMMs
exhibit effective anti-cancer activities and can be used as drugs or adjuvant agents to enhance the
efficacy of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Some NMMs, such as paclitaxel and camptothecin,
have been extensively studied for decades and are now used as anti-cancer medicines due to their
remarkable curative effects, such as inhibiting cancer cell proliferation and metastasis, and inducing
cell death and differentiation.
Methods: After extensively reviewing papers related to NMM studies in cancers, we grouped
NMMs into six categories based on their chemical structures. We summarized the anti-cancer
activities of these NMMs and current knowledge of molecular mechanisms for them to exert their
functions.
Results and Conclusion: Many NMMs from plants can effectively inhibit cancer cells with low
or tolerable toxicity to patients. Some NMMs have been well-characterized for their anti-cancer
activities and have already been used as clinical drugs or adjuvant agents; however, the mechanisms
underlying the cancer suppressive activities of most NMMs remain poorly understood.
Many NMMs can be used as initial structural scaffolds to design and develop novel therapeutics
against cancers. This review summarizes reports related to signaling pathways mediated by different
NMMs and can provide a theoretical basis for clinical application and new drug development
of NMMs.
