Molecular Biology Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China.
Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Basic and Applied Hematology, School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China.
Molecules. 2022 Mar 25;27(7):2128. doi: 10.3390/molecules27072128.
Tumor differentiation is a therapeutic strategy aimed at reactivating the endogenous differentiation program of cancer cells and inducing cancer cells to mature and differentiate into other types of cells. It has been found that a variety of natural small-molecule drugs can induce tumor cell differentiation both in vitro and in vivo. Relevant molecules involved in the differentiation process may be potential therapeutic targets for tumor cells. Compared with synthetic drugs, natural small-molecule antitumor compounds have the characteristics of wide sources, structural diversity and low toxicity. In addition, natural drugs with structural modification and transformation have relatively concentrated targets and enhanced efficacy. Therefore, using natural small-molecule compounds to induce malignant cell differentiation represents a more targeted and potential low-toxicity means of tumor treatment. In this review, we focus on natural small-molecule compounds that induce differentiation of myeloid leukemia cells, osteoblasts and other malignant cells into functional cells by regulating signaling pathways and the expression of specific genes. We provide a reference for the subsequent development of natural small molecules for antitumor applications and promote the development of differentiation therapy.
肿瘤分化是一种治疗策略，旨在重新激活癌细胞的内源性分化程序，诱导癌细胞成熟并分化为其他类型的细胞。已经发现，多种天然小分子药物可以在体外和体内诱导肿瘤细胞分化。分化过程中涉及的相关分子可能是肿瘤细胞的潜在治疗靶点。与合成药物相比，天然小分子抗肿瘤化合物具有来源广泛、结构多样和毒性低的特点。此外，具有结构修饰和转化的天然药物具有相对集中的靶点和增强的疗效。因此，利用天然小分子化合物诱导恶性细胞分化代表了一种更具针对性和潜在低毒性的肿瘤治疗方法。在这篇综述中，我们重点介绍了通过调节信号通路和特定基因的表达，天然小分子化合物诱导髓系白血病细胞、成骨细胞和其他恶性细胞分化为功能性细胞的作用。我们为后续开发用于抗肿瘤应用的天然小分子提供了参考，并促进了分化治疗的发展。
