Altabbal Suhib, Athamnah Khawla, Rahma Aaesha, Wali Adil Farooq, Eid Ali H, Iratni Rabah, Al Dhaheri Yusra
Department of Biology, College of Science, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates.
Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 127788, United Arab Emirates.
Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2023 Mar 16;16(3):450. doi: 10.3390/ph16030450.
Cancer is the second most life-threatening disease and has become a global health and economic problem worldwide. Due to the multifactorial nature of cancer, its pathophysiology is not completely understood so far, which makes it hard to treat. The current therapeutic strategies for cancer lack the efficacy due to the emergence of drug resistance and the toxic side effects associated with the treatment. Therefore, the search for more efficient and less toxic cancer treatment strategies is still at the forefront of current research. Propolis is a mixture of resinous compounds containing beeswax and partially digested exudates from plants leaves and buds. Its chemical composition varies widely depending on the bee species, geographic location, plant species, and weather conditions. Since ancient times, propolis has been used in many conditions and aliments for its healing properties. Propolis has well-known therapeutic actions including antioxidative, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties. In recent years, extensive in vitro and in vivo studies have suggested that propolis possesses properties against several types of cancers. The present review highlights the recent progress made on the molecular targets and signaling pathways involved in the anticancer activities of propolis. Propolis exerts anticancer effects primarily by inhibiting cancer cell proliferation, inducing apoptosis through regulating various signaling pathways and arresting the tumor cell cycle, inducing autophagy, epigenetic modulations, and further inhibiting the invasion and metastasis of tumors. Propolis targets numerous signaling pathways associated with cancer therapy, including pathways mediated by p53, β-catenin, ERK1/2, MAPK, and NF-κB. Possible synergistic actions of a combination therapy of propolis with existing chemotherapies are also discussed in this review. Overall, propolis, by acting on diverse mechanisms simultaneously, can be considered to be a promising, multi-targeting, multi-pathways anticancer agent for the treatment of various types of cancers.
癌症是第二大致命性疾病，已成为全球范围内的健康和经济问题。由于癌症具有多因素性质，其病理生理学至今尚未完全明确，这使得癌症难以治疗。当前的癌症治疗策略因耐药性的出现以及治疗相关的毒副作用而缺乏疗效。因此，寻找更高效、毒性更小的癌症治疗策略仍然是当前研究的前沿课题。蜂胶是一种含有蜂蜡以及植物叶子和芽的部分消化渗出物的树脂化合物混合物。其化学成分因蜜蜂种类、地理位置、植物种类和天气条件的不同而有很大差异。自古以来，蜂胶因其治疗特性被用于多种病症和疾病。蜂胶具有众所周知的治疗作用，包括抗氧化、抗菌、抗炎和抗癌特性。近年来，大量的体外和体内研究表明，蜂胶具有对抗多种类型癌症的特性。本综述重点介绍了蜂胶抗癌活性所涉及的分子靶点和信号通路的最新进展。蜂胶主要通过抑制癌细胞增殖、通过调节各种信号通路诱导细胞凋亡并使肿瘤细胞周期停滞、诱导自噬、表观遗传调控以及进一步抑制肿瘤的侵袭和转移来发挥抗癌作用。蜂胶靶向众多与癌症治疗相关的信号通路，包括由p53、β-连环蛋白、ERK1/2、MAPK和NF-κB介导的通路。本综述还讨论了蜂胶与现有化疗联合治疗可能的协同作用。总体而言，蜂胶通过同时作用于多种机制，可以被认为是一种有前景的、多靶点、多途径的抗癌药物，可用于治疗各种类型的癌症。
