KIET School of Pharmacy, KIET Group of Institutions, Delhi-NCR, Ghaziabad, 201206, India.
Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India.
Curr Top Med Chem. 2024;24(12):1050-1074. doi: 10.2174/0115680266282518231231075311.
Annually, a significant number of individuals succumb to cancer, an anomalous cellular condition characterized by uncontrolled cellular proliferation and the emergence of highly perilous tumors. Identifying underlying molecular mechanism(s) driving disease progression has led to various inventive therapeutic approaches, many of which are presently under pre-clinical and/or clinical trials. Over the recent years, numerous alternative strategies for addressing cancer have also been proposed and put into practice. This article delineates the modern therapeutic drugs employed in cancer treatment and their associated toxicity. Due to inherent drug toxicity associated with most modern treatments, demand rises for alternative therapies and phytochemicals with minimal side effects and proven efficacy against cancer. Analogs of taxol, alkaloids like vincristine and vinblastine, and podophyllotoxin represent a few illustrative examples in this context. The phytochemicals often work by modifying the activity of molecular pathways that are thought to be involved in the onset and progression of cancer. The principal objective of this study is to provide an overview of our current understanding regarding the pharmacologic effects and molecular targets of the active compounds found in natural products for cancer treatment and collate information about the recent advancements in this realm. The authors' interest in advancing the field of phytochemical research stems from both the potential of these compounds for use as drugs as well as their scientific validity. Accordingly, the significance of herbal formulations is underscored, shedding light on anticancer phytochemicals that are sought after at both pre-clinical and clinical levels, with discussion on the opportunities and challenges in pre-clinical and clinical cancer studies.
每年，都有大量的人死于癌症，这是一种异常的细胞状态，其特征是细胞不受控制地增殖和出现高度危险的肿瘤。确定导致疾病进展的潜在分子机制导致了各种创新的治疗方法，其中许多方法目前正在进行临床前和/或临床试验。近年来，也提出并实施了许多治疗癌症的替代策略。本文阐述了用于癌症治疗的现代治疗药物及其相关毒性。由于大多数现代治疗方法都存在固有药物毒性，因此人们对副作用最小且对癌症具有疗效的替代疗法和植物化学物质的需求不断增加。紫杉醇类似物、长春新碱和长春碱等生物碱以及鬼臼毒素就是这方面的一些例证。植物化学物质通常通过改变被认为与癌症的发生和发展有关的分子途径的活性来起作用。本研究的主要目的是概述我们目前对天然产物中用于癌症治疗的活性化合物的药理作用和分子靶点的理解，并收集该领域最近进展的信息。作者对推进植物化学研究领域的兴趣源于这些化合物作为药物的潜力及其科学合理性。因此，强调了草药配方的重要性，揭示了在临床前和临床层面都受到关注的抗癌植物化学物质，并讨论了临床前和临床癌症研究中的机遇和挑战。
