Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, Shaqra University, Shaqra 11961, Saudi Arabia.
Curr Med Chem. 2021;28(39):8036-8067. doi: 10.2174/0929867328666210420101605.
Cancer is a multi-factorial health condition involving uncontrolled cell divisions. The disease has its roots in genetic mutation. This disease affects men, women, and even children. Chemotherapy, photodynamic, photothermal, and hormonal therapies have been used to treat this deadliest disease, but a huge percentage of patients have chances of disease recurrence or resistance. Nowadays, dysregulation in miRNAs is considered one of the key factors for the development and progression of different types of cancers as they control the expression of genes responsible for cell proliferation, growth, differentiation, and apoptosis. Dietary phytochemicals with anticancer properties have been gaining focus for cancer treatment since they have been found more effective in targeting cancer via regulating miRNAs expression. These phytochemicals have no side effects and are readily available at a low cost. Several dietary phytochemicals with regulatory effects on the expression of miRNAs have been reported, including curcumin, diallyl disulfide, 3, 30-diindolylmethane, ellagic acid, genistein, indole-3-carbinol, quercetin, resveratrol, and sulforaphane. They exert their regulatory effects against different cancers either by upregulating or downregulating different cancer signalling pathways and inhibiting their progression. Curcumin down-regulates SHH pathways, epigallocatechin-3-gallate regulates the Notch pathway and inhibits TGFβ1/SMAD signalling, and resveratrol regulates the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and carnosic acid-induced apoptosis in colon cancer cell via JAK2/STAT3 signalling pathway. The miRNAs are used for the treatment of cancer as essential modulators in cellular pathways. Therefore, identifying the miRNAs and their targets and countering them with specific phytochemicals provide a safe and effective mechanism for the treatment of cancer.
癌症是一种涉及不受控制的细胞分裂的多因素健康状况。这种疾病的根源是基因突变。这种疾病影响男性、女性，甚至儿童。化疗、光动力、光热和激素疗法已被用于治疗这种最致命的疾病，但仍有很大比例的患者有疾病复发或耐药的机会。如今，miRNA 的失调被认为是不同类型癌症发展和进展的关键因素之一，因为它们控制着负责细胞增殖、生长、分化和凋亡的基因的表达。具有抗癌特性的膳食植物化学物质已成为癌症治疗的焦点，因为它们通过调节 miRNA 的表达来更有效地靶向癌症。这些植物化学物质没有副作用，而且价格低廉，易于获得。已经报道了几种具有调节 miRNA 表达作用的膳食植物化学物质，包括姜黄素、二烯丙基二硫、3,30-二吲哚基甲烷、鞣花酸、染料木黄酮、吲哚-3-甲醇、槲皮素、白藜芦醇和萝卜硫素。它们通过上调或下调不同的癌症信号通路并抑制其进展，对不同的癌症发挥其调节作用。姜黄素下调 SHH 通路，表没食子儿茶素没食子酸酯调节 Notch 通路并抑制 TGFβ1/SMAD 信号通路，白藜芦醇通过 JAK2/STAT3 信号通路调节 Wnt/β-catenin 通路和肉豆蔻酸诱导的结肠癌细胞凋亡。miRNA 作为细胞通路中的重要调节剂，被用于癌症的治疗。因此，鉴定 miRNA 及其靶标，并利用特定的植物化学物质来对抗它们，为癌症的治疗提供了一种安全有效的机制。
