Department for Life Quality Studies, Alma Mater Studiorum-Università di Bologna, Corso d'Augusto 237, 47921 Rimini, Italy.
Department of Biomolecular Sciences (DISB), Università degli Studi di Urbino Carlo Bo, Via I Maggetti 26, 61029 Urbino, Italy.
Toxins (Basel). 2020 Nov 26;12(12):747. doi: 10.3390/toxins12120747.
The main limits of current anticancer therapy are relapses, chemoresistance, and toxic effects resulting from its poor selectivity towards cancer cells that severely impair a patient's quality of life. Therefore, the discovery of new anticancer drugs remains an urgent challenge. Natural products represent an excellent opportunity due to their ability to target heterogenous populations of cancer cells and regulate several key pathways involved in cancer development, and their favorable toxicological profile. is one of the most popular spices in the world, with growing fame as a source of bioactive molecules with pharmacological properties. The present review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the anticancer potential of and its major active constituents-not limited to the well-known piperine-whose undeniable anticancer properties have been reported for different cancer cell lines and animal models. Moreover, the chemosensitizing effects of in association with traditional anticancer drugs are depicted and its toxicological profile is outlined. Despite the promising results, human studies are missing, which are crucial for supporting the efficacy and safety of and its single components in cancer patients.
当前癌症治疗的主要局限是复发、化疗耐药性以及其对癌细胞选择性差导致的毒性作用，这些严重影响了患者的生活质量。因此，发现新的抗癌药物仍然是一个紧迫的挑战。天然产物是一个很好的机会，因为它们能够针对异质的癌细胞群体，并调节癌症发展过程中涉及的几个关键途径，同时具有良好的毒理学特性。 是世界上最受欢迎的香料之一，由于其作为具有药理特性的生物活性分子的来源而越来越受到关注。本综述旨在全面概述 的抗癌潜力及其主要活性成分——不仅限于众所周知的胡椒碱——不同的癌细胞系和动物模型已经报道了其不可否认的抗癌特性。此外，还描述了 与传统抗癌药物联合使用的化疗增敏作用及其毒理学特性。尽管有很有前景的结果，但仍缺乏人体研究，这对于支持 在癌症患者中的疗效和安全性以及其单一成分是至关重要的。
