Molecular Targets of Botanicals Used for Chemoprevention

Cuendet, Muriel; Nievergelt, Andreas; Pezzuto, John M.

doi:10.1093/med/9780199329724.003.0003

Cited by 2 publications

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“…We have tended to focus on broad-based assays reflective of the initiation, promotion, and progression stages of carcinogenesis [ 107 ]. In addition to terrestrial plants [ 108 ], marine microorganisms have been utilized as starting materials for the isolation and identification of unique cancer chemopreventive agents [ 109 ]. Using this strategy, agents have been discovered or produced that fall into the categories of dietary natural products, nondietary natural products, semisynthetic derivatives, and known natural products with hitherto unknown mechanisms of action (i.e., repurposing).…”

Section: Cancer Chemopreventionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural Products as a Vital Source for the Discovery of Cancer Chemotherapeutic and Chemopreventive Agents

Cragg¹,

2015

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Throughout history, natural products have played a dominant role in the treatment of human ailments. For example, the legendary discovery of penicillin transformed global existence. Presently, natural products comprise a large portion of current-day pharmaceutical agents, most notably in the area of cancer therapy. Examples include Taxol, vinblastine, and camptothecin. These structurally unique agents function by novel mechanisms of action; isolation from natural sources is the only plausible method that could have led to their discovery. In addition to terrestrial plants as sources for starting materials, the marine environment (e.g., ecteinascidin 743, halichondrin B, and dolastatins), microbes (e.g., bleomycin, doxorubicin, and staurosporin), and slime molds (e.g., epothilone B) have yielded remarkable cancer chemotherapeutic agents. Irrespective of these advances, cancer remains a leading cause of death worldwide. Undoubtedly, the prevention of human cancer is highly preferable to treatment. Cancer chemoprevention, the use of vaccines or pharmaceutical agents to inhibit, retard, or reverse the process of carcinogenesis, is another important approach for easing this formidable public health burden. Similar to cancer chemotherapeutic agents, natural products play an important role in this field. There are many examples, including dietary phytochemicals such as sulforaphane and phenethyl isothiocyanate (cruciferous vegetables) and resveratrol (grapes and grape products). Overall, natural product research is a powerful approach for discovering biologically active compounds with unique structures and mechanisms of action. Given the unfathomable diversity of nature, it is reasonable to suggest that chemical leads can be generated that are capable of interacting with most or possibly all therapeutic targets.

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Section: Cancer Chemopreventionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural Products as a Vital Source for the Discovery of Cancer Chemotherapeutic and Chemopreventive Agents

Cragg¹,

2015

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“…Additionally, most chemotherapeutic agents are also of natural origin. 1 Not only terrestrial plants, 6 but also marine organisms, have been used for the isolation and characterization of novel potential chemopreventive molecules. 7 This gives a large number of compounds of interest as chemopreventive agents.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural Products as Cancer Chemo Preventive Agents: Where We Stand

Boretti¹

2022

Natural Product Communications

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This work briefly reviews cancer chemoprevention. This is a very challenging field, as products with a high level of toxicity such as chemotherapeutic agents may be proposed and accepted only under life-threatening conditions. Cancer chemoprevention is otherwise limited to completely safe substances, preferably having neither toxic nor side effects, administered in relatively low amounts. Phases of clinical trials, therapeutic end-points, and biomarkers of chemoprevention are difficult to be defined. The clinical trials needed to prove the efficacy of chemopreventive agents must be very long and extremely widespread to achieve significance, with many variables difficult to control, and therefore subjected to many confounding factors. This makes them almost impossible. It is, therefore, no surprise, if the progress of chemoprevention has been so far very limited. There are only a few examples of direct use of chemopreventive agents, under investigation, but with anything but established protocols, in addition to indirect uses such as general supplementation with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune-supportive agents. Cancer chemoprevention remains a potentially very rewarding approach, certainly worth further study, but extremely difficult to pursue, in need of different methodological approaches to producing valuable chemopreventive compounds of clear dosages and benefits.

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Molecular Targets of Botanicals Used for Chemoprevention

Cited by 2 publications

References 0 publications

Natural Products as a Vital Source for the Discovery of Cancer Chemotherapeutic and Chemopreventive Agents

Natural Products as a Vital Source for the Discovery of Cancer Chemotherapeutic and Chemopreventive Agents

Natural Products as Cancer Chemo Preventive Agents: Where We Stand

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