:
Natural product therapy has been gaining therapeutic importance against various diseases,
including cancer. The failure of chemotherapy due to its associated adverse effects promoted adjunct
therapy with natural products. Phytochemicals exert anti-carcinogenic activities through the regulation
of various cell signaling pathways such as cell survival, inflammation, apoptosis, autophagy and metastasis.
The ‘small molecule-chemosensitizing agents’ from plants induce apoptosis in drug-resistant and
host-immune resistant cancer cells in in vitro as well as in vivo models. For example, alkaloids from Nelumbo
nucifera, liensinine, isoliensinine and neferine exert the anticancer activity through enhanced
ROS generation, activation of MAP kinases, followed by induction of autophagy and apoptotic cell
death. Likewise, these alkaloids also exert their cytoprotective action against cerebrovascular
stroke/ischemic stroke, diabetes, and chemotherapy-induced cytotoxicity. Therefore, the present review
elucidates the pharmacological activities of these bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids which include the cytoprotective,
anticancer and chemosensitizing abilities against various diseases such as cardiovascular
diseases, neurological diseases and cancer.
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