Preventing Cancer by Inhibiting Ornithine Decarboxylase: A Comparative Perspective on Synthetic vs. Natural Drugs

Abstract

This perspective explores synthetic and natural inhibitors, their inhibition patterns, and the efficacy of recently employed natural compounds as inhibitors for Ornithine decarboxylase enzyme which targets the MYC oncogene, and links polyamine metabolism to oncogenesis in normal and cancer cells. ODC activation and heightened polyamine activity are associated with tumor development in numerous cancers and fluctuations in ODC protein levels exert a profound influence on cellular activity for inhibition or suppressing tumor cells. This perspective outlines efforts to develop novel drugs, evaluate natural compounds, and identify promising inhibitors to address gaps in cancer prevention, highlighting the potential of newly designed synthetic moieties and natural flavonoids as alternatives. It also discusses natural compounds with potential as enhanced inhibitors.