Shahbaz Muhammad, Perween Asfa, Momal Ushna, Imran Muhammad, Ul Hassan Muhammad Hammad, Naeem Hammad, Mujtaba Ahmed, Hussain Muzzamal, Alsagaby Suliman A, Al Abdulmonem Waleed, Abdelgawad Mohamed A, El-Ghorab Ahmed H, Selim Samy, Mostafa Ehab M, Al Jbawi Entessar
Department of Food Science and Technology Muhammad Nawaz Shareef University of Agriculture Multan Multan Pakistan.
Department of Human Nutrition and Dietetics Muhammad Nawaz Shareef University of Agriculture Multan Multan Pakistan.
Food Sci Nutr. 2024 Dec 31;13(1):e4696. doi: 10.1002/fsn3.4696. eCollection 2025 Jan.
Coumarins, a group of naturally occurring compounds, have been reported to demonstrate anticancer potential. These substances, distinguished by their combined benzene and α-pyrone rings, have been demonstrated to impact multiple cellular mechanisms essential for the initiation and advancement of cancer. These agents work in different ways that prevent different tumor cells from growing, spreading, and increasing. One of the main anticancer mechanisms of coumarin act is killing cancer cells through apoptosis. This includes changes to pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins like Bcl-2 and Bax, the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria, and the activation of caspases. The tumor suppressor protein p53's expression has been discovered to be upregulated by coumarins such as esculetin and imperatorin, which encourage interrupted cell cycle and death. Additionally, coumarin has anti-angiogenic qualities, which are critical for the development and spread of tumors. It can slow the development of new blood vessels that feed tumors by inhibiting the "vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)" route of signaling. Coumarins inhibit the number of signaling pathways that are vital for cell division. For example, they can suppress the "PI3K/mTOR" pathway, which usually impairs the cancer cells and results in decreased cell viability and growth. Finally, coumarins could modulate the response of the immune system to cancerous cells. They have the ability to boost the activity of natural killer cells and cytotoxic T lymphocytes, which aid the immune system in identifying and eliminating cancer cells. Through a variety of mechanisms, such as immune response regulation, angiogenesis reduction, cell growth inhibition, and apoptosis activation, coumarins exhibit their anticancer effects. These molecular pathways demonstrate coumarins' potential as an interesting option for the development of novel anticancer treatments. More studies are needed to completely understand their modes of action and maximize their therapeutic efficacy.
香豆素是一类天然存在的化合物，据报道具有抗癌潜力。这些物质以其苯环和α-吡喃酮环的组合为特征，已被证明会影响癌症发生和发展所必需的多种细胞机制。这些药物通过不同方式发挥作用，阻止不同肿瘤细胞生长、扩散和增殖。香豆素发挥抗癌作用的主要机制之一是通过细胞凋亡杀死癌细胞。这包括改变促凋亡蛋白和抗凋亡蛋白（如Bcl-2和Bax）、线粒体释放细胞色素c以及半胱天冬酶的激活。已发现七叶亭和欧前胡素等香豆素可上调肿瘤抑制蛋白p53的表达，从而促进细胞周期中断和细胞死亡。此外，香豆素具有抗血管生成特性，这对肿瘤的发展和扩散至关重要。它可以通过抑制“血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）”信号通路来减缓为肿瘤供血的新血管的形成。香豆素抑制对细胞分裂至关重要的多种信号通路。例如，它们可以抑制“PI3K/mTOR”通路，该通路通常会损害癌细胞并导致细胞活力和生长下降。最后，香豆素可以调节免疫系统对癌细胞的反应。它们有能力增强自然杀伤细胞和细胞毒性T淋巴细胞的活性，这有助于免疫系统识别和消除癌细胞。通过免疫反应调节、减少血管生成、抑制细胞生长和激活细胞凋亡等多种机制，香豆素发挥其抗癌作用。这些分子途径表明香豆素作为开发新型抗癌治疗方法的一个有趣选择具有潜力。需要更多研究来全面了解其作用方式并最大限度地提高其治疗效果。
