International Journal of Molecular Sciences

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Dear Colleagues,

The development of new cancer treatment strategies involving multiple compounds targeting different pathways is the current focus of research. Importantly, targeting metabolic, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial pathways could provide cancer-selective natural compounds. Natural compounds and their interaction with conventional chemotherapeutic regimens are necessary to clarify if natural compounds can be given as supplement to the conventional treatmnet for effective treatment of cancers. This Special Issue of IJMS invites research articles, reviews, and opinion reviews on fascinating advancements in the area of natural compounds with cancer-selective toxicity.

Prof. Dr. Siyaram Pandey
Guest Editor

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 2009 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Prenylated Flavonoids with Selective Toxicity against Human Cancers

by Tomasz Tronina, Agnieszka Bartmańska, Jarosław Popłoński, Magdalena Rychlicka, Sandra Sordon, Beata Filip-Psurska, Magdalena Milczarek, Joanna Wietrzyk and Ewa Huszcza

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(8), 7408; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24087408 - 18 Apr 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1602

Abstract

The antiproliferative activity of xanthohumol (1), a major prenylated chalcone naturally occurring in hops, and its aurone type derivative (Z)-6,4′-dihydroxy-4-methoxy-7-prenylaurone (2) were investigated. Both flavonoids, as well as cisplatin as a reference anticancer drug, were tested in vivo against ten human cancer cell lines (breast cancer (MCF-7, SK-BR-3, T47D), colon cancer (HT-29, LoVo, LoVo/Dx), prostate cancer (PC-3, Du145), lung cancer (A549) and leukemia (MV-4-11) and two normal cell lines (human lung microvascular endothelial (HLMEC)) and murine embryonic fibroblasts (BALB/3T3). Chalcone 1 and aurone 2 demonstrated potent to moderate anticancer activity against nine tested cancer cell lines (including drug-resistant ones). The antiproliferative activity of all the tested compounds against cancer and the normal cell lines was compared to determine their selectivity of action. Prenylated flavonoids, especially the semisynthetic derivative of xanthohumol (1), aurone 2, were found as selective antiproliferative agents in most of the used cancer cell lines, whereas the reference drug, cisplatin, acted non-selectively. Our findings suggest that the tested flavonoids can be considered strong potential candidates for further studies in the search for effective anticancer drugs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Compounds with Cancer-Selective Toxicity 2.0)

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Review

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24 pages, 2186 KiB

Open AccessReview

Advances in the Anti-Tumor Activity of Biflavonoids in Selaginella

by Mengdie Ren, Sihui Li, Qiong Gao, Lei Qiao, Qianping Cao, Ze Yang, Chaoqiang Chen, Yongmei Jiang, Gang Wang and Shaobin Fu

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(9), 7731; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24097731 - 23 Apr 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1622

Abstract

Despite the many strategies employed to slow the spread of cancer, the development of new anti-tumor drugs and the minimization of side effects have been major research hotspots in the anti-tumor field. Natural drugs are a huge treasure trove of drug development, and they have been widely used in the clinic as anti-tumor drugs. Selaginella species in the family Selaginellaceae are widely distributed worldwide, and they have been well-documented in clinical practice for the prevention and treatment of cancer. Biflavonoids are the main active ingredients in Selaginella, and they have good biological and anti-tumor activities, which warrant extensive research. The promise of biflavonoids from Selaginella (SFB) in the field of cancer therapy is being realized thanks to new research that offers insights into the multi-targeting therapeutic mechanisms and key signaling pathways. The pharmacological effects of SFB against various cancers in vitro and in vivo are reviewed in this review. In addition, the types and characteristics of biflavonoid structures are described in detail; we also provide a brief summary of the efforts to develop drug delivery systems or combinations to enhance the bioavailability of SFB monomers. In conclusion, SFB species have great potential to be developed as adjuvant or even primary therapeutic agents for cancer, with promising applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Compounds with Cancer-Selective Toxicity 2.0)

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