Lycorine and its Derivatives for Anticancer Drug Design

Abstract

Amaryllidaceae alkaloids are extensively studied for their biological activities in several pharmaceutical areas, including, for example, Alzheimer's disease for which galanthamine has already reached the market. Among this chemical family, lycorine displays very promising anti-tumor properties. This review first focuses on the chemical diversity of natural and synthetic analogues of lycorine and their metabolites, and then on mechanisms of action and biological targets through which lycorine and its derivatives display their anti-tumor activity. Our analysis of the structure-activity relationships of this family of compounds highlights the existence of various potential leads for the development of novel anticancer agents.

Lycorine Promotes Autophagy and Apoptosis via TCRP1/Akt/mTOR Axis Inactivation in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma

“…Although the targets or mechanisms of lycorine are still undefined, the dominant biological effects and low cytotoxicity of lycorine render it as a potential clinical drug or lead. For instance, it has received much attention as a promising anticancer agent for bladder cancer, cervical cancer, leukemia, prostate cancer, and multiple myeloma (14,(19)(20)(21)(22)(23). However, the defined molecular mechanisms underlying lycorine-regulated suppression of tumorigenesis remain elusive.…”

Review on the Structure Modification of Lycorine

“…In 1956, scientists determined the three-dimensional structure of lycorine by single crystal. Modern pharmacological research shows that lycorine has anti-inflammatory, inhibiting acetylcholinesterase, alkali resistant malaria, cardiovascular protection and a variety of tumor cell apoptosis induced by alkali, lycorine also has broad antiviral activity, such as SARS virus, herpes simplex virus, vaccinia virus, Punta Toro virus and Rift Valley fever virus [2][3][4] . On the other hand, the study of lycorine and its derivatives have also greatly promoted the progress in the treatment of diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer's disease, viral infection and other serious harm to human health [5][6][7] .…”

Lycorine inhibits MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion that are associated with Wnt/β-catenin signaling

“…Lycorine, known as a multifunctional compound, is extensively studied for its pharmacological activities, such as anti-tumor activity (Lamoral-Theys et al, 2010). Previous studies have shown that lycorine presented a potential anti-cancer activity in breast cancer via the inhibition of tumor growth and metastasis Ying et al, 2017).…”

“…In the treatment for breast cancer, some adverse effects could cause serious complications and affect the health and quality of life among survivors (Odle, 2014). Therefore, it is necessary to develop novel anti-cancer candidates for breast cancer.In the past several decades, natural compounds such as resveratrol (Sinha et al, 2016), epigallocatechin-3-gallate, oldenlandia diffusa and Ziziphus jujube have been demonstrated that possessed potential anti-breast cancer activity (Bonofiglio et al, 2016).Lycorine, known as a multifunctional compound, is extensively studied for its pharmacological activities, such as anti-tumor activity (Lamoral-Theys et al, 2010). Previous studies have shown that lycorine presented a potential anti-cancer activity in breast cancer via the inhibition of tumor growth and metastasis Ying et al, 2017).…”