Department of Biosciences, Integral University, Lucknow, India.
Department of Biology, College of Sciences, University of Hail, Hail, Saudi Arabia.
J Food Biochem. 2021 Dec;45(12):e14010. doi: 10.1111/jfbc.14010. Epub 2021 Nov 18.
Globally, cancer is one of the deadliest diseases, estimated to cause 9.9 million deaths in 2020. Conventional cancer treatments commonly involve mono-chemotherapy or a combination of radiotherapy and mono-chemotherapy. However, the negative side effects of these approaches have been extensively reported and have prompted the search for new therapeutic drugs. Over the past few years, numerous dietary agents, medicinal plants, and their phytochemicals gained considerable therapeutic importance because of their anticancer, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities. Recent years have shown that essential oils possess therapeutic effects against numerous cancers. They are primarily used due to their lesser side effects than standard chemotherapeutic drugs. Carvacrol (CRV) is a phenolic monoterpenoid found in essential oils of oregano, thyme, pepperwort, wild bergamot, and other plants. Numerous anticancer reports of CRV substantiated that the main mechanistic action of CRV involves reduction in the viability of cancer cells and induction of apoptosis via both intrinsic and extrinsic pathways. CRV also obstructs the migration and invasion of cells leading to the suppressed proliferation rate. Furthermore, CRV mediates augmented ROS generation resulting in DNA damage and also halts the progression of cell cycle. Treatment of CRV modulates the expression of apoptotic proteins (Bax, Bad) and molecular targets of various signaling pathways (PI3K/AKT/mTOR, MAPKs, and Notch) in multiple solid carcinomas. Hence, this review aimed to acquire and disseminate the knowledge of chemopreventive and anticancer effects of CRV and the mechanisms of action already described for the compound against numerous cancers, including solid carcinomas, to guide future research. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Development and formulation of phytocompound based anticancer drug agents to counteract the aftereffects of chemotherapeutic drugs is a propitious approach. CRV is a monoterpenoid consisting of a phenolic group obtained from the essential oils of oregano and thyme. These plants are being used as food flavoring spice and as fragrance ingredient in various cosmetic formulations. For the use of CRV as an efficient chemopreventive agent, different therapeutic interactions of CRV along with its targeted pathways and molecules, involved in the regulation of onset and progression of various types of solid carcinomas, need to be studied and explored thoroughly.
全球范围内，癌症是最致命的疾病之一，据估计，2020 年有 990 万人因此死亡。传统的癌症治疗通常涉及单一化疗或放射治疗和单一化疗的联合。然而，这些方法的负面副作用已经被广泛报道，并促使人们寻找新的治疗药物。在过去的几年中，许多膳食剂、药用植物及其植物化学物质因其抗癌、抗病毒、抗炎和抗氧化活性而获得了相当大的治疗重要性。近年来的研究表明，精油对多种癌症具有治疗作用。它们主要是因为它们的副作用比标准化疗药物少而被使用。香芹酚（CRV）是一种存在于牛至、百里香、胡椒薄荷、野生佛手柑和其他植物精油中的酚类单萜烯。大量关于 CRV 的抗癌报告证实，CRV 的主要作用机制包括通过内在和外在途径降低癌细胞的活力和诱导细胞凋亡。CRV 还阻止细胞的迁移和侵袭，从而抑制增殖率。此外，CRV 介导增强的 ROS 生成导致 DNA 损伤，并阻止细胞周期的进展。CRV 的治疗调节了凋亡蛋白（Bax、Bad）和各种信号通路（PI3K/AKT/mTOR、MAPKs 和 Notch）的分子靶标在多种实体癌中的表达。因此，本综述旨在获取和传播关于 CRV 的化学预防和抗癌作用以及该化合物已经描述的针对多种癌症（包括实体癌）的作用机制的知识，以指导未来的研究。
开发和制定基于植物化合物的抗癌药物制剂，以对抗化疗药物的副作用是一种有前途的方法。CRV 是一种单萜烯，由牛至和百里香精油中的酚基组成。这些植物被用作食品调味香料和各种化妆品配方中的香料成分。为了将 CRV 用作有效的化学预防剂，需要深入研究和探索 CRV 与其靶向途径和分子的不同治疗相互作用，这些途径和分子参与各种实体癌的发生和进展的调节。
