Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
8.1
4.9
Journals
IJMS
Special Issues
The Roles of Phytochemicals and Antioxidants in Colon Cancers
ijms-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for IJMS Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

The Roles of Phytochemicals and Antioxidants in Colon Cancers

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Bioactives and Nutraceuticals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2025 | Viewed by 1273

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Nunzio Antonio Cacciola

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, Via F. Delpino, 1, 80137 Naples, Italy
Interests: phytotherapy; pharmacology; natural products; colorectal cancer
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Francesca Borrelli

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Via D. Montesano, 49, 80131 Naples, Italy
Interests: polyphenol-rich extract; colorectal carcinogenesis; cannabinoids; apoptosis
Dr. Paola De Cicco

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Via D. Montesano, 49, 80131 Naples, Italy
Interests: phytotherapy; natural products; skin cancer; inflammatory bowel diseases
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Colon Cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The ineffectiveness of current treatment methods is reflected in the frequent relapses and the emergence of a drug-resistant form of CRC. Numerous scientific studies have shown the great potential of natural products as a source of anti-CRC agents with novel functions.

With this Special Issue, we aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of phytochemicals and antioxidants with anti-CRC activity in various in vitro and in vivo models, particularly the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms of action of these compounds. We invite the submission of short communications, original articles and reviews that shed light on the history of bioactive dietary compounds and expand our current knowledge on the future treatment and prevention of colorectal cancers.

Dr. Nunzio Antonio Cacciola
Prof. Dr. Francesca Borrelli
Dr. Paola De Cicco
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • colon cancer
  • colorectal cancer
  • natural products
  • drug-resistant
  • phytochemicals
  • antioxidants
  • cellular and molecular mechanisms
  • anti-cancer activity
  • prevention
  • treatments

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

18 pages, 1852 KiB  
Article
Evaluating the Chemical Composition and Antitumor Activity of Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum Essential Oil in a Preclinical Colon Cancer Model
by Georgios Aindelis, Katerina Spyridopoulou, Sotiris Kyriakou, Angeliki Tiptiri-Kourpeti, Mihalis I. Panayiotidis, Aglaia Pappa and Katerina Chlichlia
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(10), 4737; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26104737 - 15 May 2025
Viewed by 194
Abstract
Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum is an aromatic plant native to various Mediterranean regions and has been traditionally used in folk medicine. This study investigates the chemical composition and the potential antitumor activity of its essential oil in a preclinical model of CT26 colorectal [...] Read more.
Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum is an aromatic plant native to various Mediterranean regions and has been traditionally used in folk medicine. This study investigates the chemical composition and the potential antitumor activity of its essential oil in a preclinical model of CT26 colorectal cancer in BALB/c mice. Mice received prophylactic oral administration of the essential oil, and tumor progression, immune modulation, and apoptosis were evaluated. Even treatment with low doses (350 parts per million, ppm in 100 μL final volume) of the essential oil significantly suppressed tumor growth by approximately 44%. This effect correlated with the enhanced expression of antitumorigenic cytokines, including a 2.7-fold increase in type I interferons (IFN), IFN-γ (from 46.5 to 111.9 pg/μL per mg of protein) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) (from 34.5 to 103 pg/μL per mg of protein). Furthermore, the production of granzyme B, a key mediator of cytotoxic immune cell function, was notably increased from 96.1 to 319.6 pg/μL per mg of protein. An elevated activation of caspase 3, a central effector caspase of all apoptotic cascades, was also observed in tumors from oregano-treated mice. These findings suggest that O. vulgare ssp. hirtum essential oil exhibits promising antitumor properties through immune modulation and immunity-mediated apoptosis induction, supporting its potential development as a bioactive compound for cancer prevention or therapy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Roles of Phytochemicals and Antioxidants in Colon Cancers)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 2900 KiB  
Article
Smilax glabra Flavonoids Inhibit AMPK Activation and Induce Ferroptosis in Obesity-Associated Colorectal Cancer
by Jianqin Xu, Zhaowei Cai, Ziyao Pang, Jiayan Chen, Keyan Zhu, Dejun Wang and Jue Tu
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(6), 2476; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26062476 - 10 Mar 2025
Viewed by 678
Abstract
Smilax glabra flavonoids (SGF), the active components of Smilax glabra Roxb., have been demonstrated to exhibit antioxidant activity and metabolic benefits in obesity, leading us to further explore their antitumor effects in obesity-related colorectal cancer (CRC). This study investigated the antiproliferative effects of [...] Read more.
Smilax glabra flavonoids (SGF), the active components of Smilax glabra Roxb., have been demonstrated to exhibit antioxidant activity and metabolic benefits in obesity, leading us to further explore their antitumor effects in obesity-related colorectal cancer (CRC). This study investigated the antiproliferative effects of SGF on obesity-related CRC by using a murine colon adenocarcinoma MC38 cell line. The underlying mechanisms were further explored via RNA-Seq and bioinformatics analysis in combination with experimental validation. SGF was proven to possess cytotoxic effects against MC38 cells, indicated by the inhibition of proliferation and migration, especially in an adipocyte-rich environment. In line with this, SGF exhibited much stronger antiproliferative effects on MC38-transplanted tumors in obese mice. Transcriptomics analysis showed that the cytotoxic effects of SGF might be related to the AMPK pathway and ferroptosis. On this basis, SGF was confirmed to induce ferroptosis and dictate ferroptosis sensitivity in a high-fat context mimicked by a two-step conditioned medium (CM) transfer experiment or a Transwell coculture system. The results of Western blotting validated that SGF suppressed the phosphorylation of AMPK, accompanied by alterations in the biomarkers of ferroptosis. These results demonstrate that SGF exerts in vitro and in vivo antiproliferative effects in obesity-associated CRC through inhibiting AMPK activation, thereby driving ferroptosis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Roles of Phytochemicals and Antioxidants in Colon Cancers)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop