Potential Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Cancer Properties of Farnesol
Young Yun Jung 1,†, Sun Tae Hwang 1,†, Gautam Sethi 2,*, Lu Fan 2, Frank Arfuso 3 and Kwang Seok Ahn 1,4,*
1
Department of Science in Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, 24 Kyungheedae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02447, Korea
2
Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117600, Singapore
3
Stem Cell and Cancer Biology Laboratory, School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Curtin University, Perth WA 6009, Australia
4
Department of Korean Pathology, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, 24 Kyungheedae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02447, Korea
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Molecules 2018, 23(11), 2827; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules23112827
Received: 5 October 2018 / Revised: 23 October 2018 / Accepted: 30 October 2018 / Published: 31 October 2018
(This article belongs to the Collection Natural Products: Anticancer Potential and Beyond)
Abstract
Farnesol, an acyclic sesquiterpene alcohol, is predominantly found in essential oils of various plants in nature. It has been reported to exhibit anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects, and also alleviate allergic asthma, gliosis, and edema. In numerous tumor cell lines, farnesol can modulate various tumorigenic proteins and/or modulates diverse signal transduction cascades. It can also induce apoptosis and downregulate cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and cell survival. To exert its anti-inflammatory/anti-oncogenic effects, farnesol can modulate Ras protein and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells activation to downregulate the expression of various inflammatory mediators such as cyclooxygenase-2, inducible nitric oxide synthase, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and interleukin-6. In this review, we describe the potential mechanisms of action underlying the therapeutic effects of farnesol against cancers and inflammatory disorders. Furthermore, these findings support the clinical development of farnesol as a potential pharmacological agent in clinical studies. View Full-TextKeywords:
farnesol; inflammation; cancer; apoptosis
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Jung, Y.Y.; Hwang, S.T.; Sethi, G.; Fan, L.; Arfuso, F.; Ahn, K.S. Potential Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Cancer Properties of Farnesol. Molecules 2018, 23, 2827.
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