Amygdalin is a cyanogenic glycoside which is described as a naturally occurring anti-cancer agent. In 1830s, French chemists Robiquet and Boutron-Charlard isolated amygdalin from bitter almonds. Apoptosis is an important mechanism in cancer treatment by amygdalin. Amygdalin can probably stimulate apoptotic process in cancerous cells by increasing activity of Bax (pro-apoptotic protein) and caspase-3 and decreasing expression of Bcl-2 (anti-apoptotic protein). Amygdalin promotes arrest of cell cycle in G0/G1 phase followed by decreasing number of S and G2/M phase cells. So, amygdalin enhances deceleration of cell cycle by blocking cell proliferation and growth. The current review highlights that amygdalin has potential to be used as an anticancer agent in cancer therapy.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.