Department of Advanced Material Technologies, Faculty of Chemistry, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wrocław, Poland.
Department of Medical Affairs, Labcorp (Polska) Sp. z o.o., Warsaw, Poland.
Curr Top Med Chem. 2022;22(11):922-938. doi: 10.2174/1568026622666220303112218.
Cancer is a multistage process that numerous modalities including systemic treatment can treat. About half of the molecules that have been approved in the last few decades count for plant derivatives. This review presents the application of tree/shrub-derived biologically active compounds as anticancer agents. Different parts of trees/shrubs - wood, bark, branches, roots, leaves, needles, fruits, flowers, etc. - contain a wide variety of primary and secondary metabolites that demonstrate anticancer properties. Special attention was paid to phenolics (phenolic acids and polyphenols, including flavonoids and non-flavonoids (tannins, lignans, stilbenes)), essential oils, and their main constituents such as terpenes/terpenoids, phytosterols, alkaloids, and many others. The anticancer properties of these compounds are mainly attributed to their strong antioxidant properties. In vitro experiments on various cancer cell lines revealed a cytotoxic effect of tree-derived extracts. Mechanisms of anticancer action of the extracts are also listed. Examples of drugs that successfully underwent clinical trials with well-established positions in the guidelines created by oncological societies are provided. The review also focuses on directions for the future in the development of anticancer agents derived from trees/shrubs. Applying biologically active compounds derived from trees and shrubs as anticancer agents continuously seems promising in treating systemic cancer.
癌症是一个多阶段的过程，许多方法，包括系统治疗，可以治疗。在过去几十年中获得批准的分子中，约有一半是植物衍生的。本综述介绍了树/灌木衍生的具有生物活性的化合物作为抗癌剂的应用。树/灌木的不同部位——木材、树皮、树枝、根、叶、针、果实、花等——含有各种各样的初级和次级代谢产物，具有抗癌特性。特别关注了酚类（酚酸和多酚，包括类黄酮和非类黄酮（单宁、木脂素、芪））、精油及其主要成分，如萜类/萜烯、植物固醇、生物碱等。这些化合物的抗癌特性主要归因于它们强大的抗氧化特性。在各种癌细胞系的体外实验中，发现了树衍生提取物的细胞毒性作用。还列出了提取物的抗癌作用机制。提供了成功进行临床试验并在肿瘤学会制定的指南中确立地位的药物的例子。该综述还侧重于未来从树木/灌木中开发抗癌药物的方向。将源自树木和灌木的具有生物活性的化合物作为抗癌剂不断应用于治疗系统性癌症似乎很有前途。
