The Promising Role of Plant-Derived Lectins in Oral Cancer Therapeutics: A Systematic Review.

Oral cancer (OC) continues to pose a significant global health challenge, marked by high morbidity and mortality rates despite advances in diagnosis and treatment. Numerous novel potential anticancer drugs have been evaluated, many of which are derived from natural sources, such as microorganisms, plants, and animals. Among these, plant lectins - a distinctive group of proteins and glycoproteins with strong biological activity - have garnered considerable attention over the years. Several plant lectins can trigger selective apoptotic cancer cell death or possess antiproliferative properties. The objective of this systematic review was to provide insight into the potential applications of plant lectins in the treatment of OC. Plant lectins suppress cancer cells by inducing apoptosis and/or autophagy by modulating various signalling pathways such as the caspase family, mitochondrial-mediated ROS-p38-p53 pathway, PI3K/Akt, and Wnt/β-catenin to inhibit OC. Multiple lectins have been shown to exhibit anticancer properties in cell cultures and in vivo. lectin, seed lectin, abrus agglutinin, wheat germ agglutinin, mistletoe lectin, and concanavalin A are among the plant lectins with the highest potential for anticancer activities. This review provides an overview of the current understanding of the role of lectins in cancer diagnosis and therapy, highlighting their potential applications and underlying mechanisms.