Postgraduate Program in Applied Science for Health Products, Faculty of Pharmacy, Fluminense Federal University (UFF), CEP: 24010-141 Niteroi, Brazil.
Postgraduate Program in Dentistry, Health Institute of Nova Friburgo (ISNF), Fluminense Federal University (UFF), CEP: 28625-650 Nova Friburgo, RJ, Brazil.
Biomed Res Int. 2022 May 24;2022:6317201. doi: 10.1155/2022/6317201. eCollection 2022.
Monoterpenes are a group of natural products that have been widely studied due to their therapeutic potential against various pathologies. These compounds are abundant in the chemical composition of essential oils. Cancer is a term that covers more than 100 different types of malignant diseases and is among the leading causes of death in the world. Therefore, the search for new pharmacotherapeutic options applicable to cancer is urgent. In this review, studies on the antitumor activity of monoterpenes found in essential oils were selected, and botanical, chemical, and pharmacological aspects were discussed. The most investigated monoterpenes were carvacrol and linalool with highly significant and tumor inhibition in several types of cancers. The action mechanisms of these natural products are also presented and are wildly varied being apoptosis the most prevalent followed by cell cycle impairment, ROS production, autophagy, necroptosis, and others. The studies reported here confirm the antitumor properties of monoterpenes and their anticancer potential against various types of tumors, as demonstrated in and studies using various types of cancer cells and tumors in animal models. The data described serve as a reference for the advancement in the mechanistic studies of these compounds and in the preparation of synthetic derivatives or analogues with a better antitumor profile.
单萜类化合物是一类具有治疗潜力的天然产物，广泛研究于各种病理疾病。这些化合物在精油的化学成分中含量丰富。癌症是一个涵盖 100 多种不同恶性疾病的术语，是世界上主要的死亡原因之一。因此，迫切需要寻找适用于癌症的新的药物治疗选择。在这篇综述中，选择了关于精油中单萜的抗肿瘤活性的研究，并讨论了植物学、化学和药理学方面。研究最多的单萜类化合物是香芹酚和芳樟醇，在几种类型的癌症中具有显著的 和 肿瘤抑制作用。这些天然产物的作用机制也被提出，并且是广泛多样的，凋亡是最常见的，其次是细胞周期损伤、ROS 产生、自噬、坏死和其他机制。这里报道的研究证实了单萜类化合物的抗肿瘤特性及其对各种类型肿瘤的抗癌潜力，正如 和 研究中使用各种类型的癌细胞和动物模型中的肿瘤所证明的那样。所描述的数据为这些化合物的机制研究的进展以及合成衍生物或类似物的制备提供了参考，这些类似物具有更好的抗肿瘤特性。
