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Anti-cancer Agents from Natural Products
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Anti-cancer Agents from Natural Products

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 4693

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Zhangfeng Zhong

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Macao Centre for Research and Development in Chinese Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macao SAR 999078, China
Interests: drug screening and discovery; drug application of natural compounds; hepatocellular carcinoma; immunotherapy from natural compounds
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Donghua Yang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
New York College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Mineola, NY 11501, USA
Interests: biomarkers; cancer biology; pharmacology; Chinese medicine
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Wen Tan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, 199 Donggang West Road, Lanzhou 730020, China
Interests: cancer metabolic reprogramming; AMPK-mediated metabolic targets and the related metabolic modifiers; immunometabolism in cancer; cancer drug resistance; anti-cancer agents from natural products
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The research on anti-cancer agents from natural products is currently booming. There are a huge number of investigations pertaining to every step and link of natural products study on anti-cancer agents. This Special Issue aims to review and summarize the advances in the field of natural products, including extraction and separation, chemical structure and its modification, efficacy and pharmacology, drug delivery system, drug combination and clinal application. The emerging interdisciplinary directions and fields are also welcome, such as immunotherapy. There are no restrictions on the types of articles, and both original research papers and review papers are welcome.

We are hoping to provide informative studies to our audiences, for example, efficient extraction or separation methods for natural products exploring, significant leading compound investigation, in-depth molecular mechanism study on anti-cancer effects, application of novel materials or structures in drug delivery systems, natural products combined with first-line drugs, or some clinical trials on certain potential candidates derived from natural products.

Dr. Zhangfeng Zhong
Dr. Donghua Yang
Dr. Wen Tan
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. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). 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

  • anti-cancer
  • natural products
  • structure modification
  • molecular mechanism
  • immunotherapy
  • drug delivery system

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Review

54 pages, 10552 KiB  
Review
Plant Alkaloids as Promising Anticancer Compounds with Blood–Brain Barrier Penetration in the Treatment of Glioblastoma: In Vitro and In Vivo Models
by Marcin Ożarowski, Tomasz M. Karpiński, Bogusław Czerny, Adam Kamiński and Agnieszka Seremak-Mrozikiewicz
Molecules 2025, 30(7), 1561; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30071561 - 31 Mar 2025
Viewed by 577
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most invasive central nervous system tumors, with rising global incidence. Therapy resistance and poor prognosis highlight the urgent need for new anticancer drugs. Plant alkaloids, a largely unexplored yet promising class of compounds, have previously contributed to [...] Read more.
Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most invasive central nervous system tumors, with rising global incidence. Therapy resistance and poor prognosis highlight the urgent need for new anticancer drugs. Plant alkaloids, a largely unexplored yet promising class of compounds, have previously contributed to oncology treatments. While past reviews provided selective insights, this review aims to collectively compare data from the last decade on (1) plant alkaloid-based anticancer drugs, (2) alkaloid transport across the blood–brain barrier (BBB) in vitro and in vivo, (3) alkaloid mechanisms of action in glioblastoma models (in vitro, in vivo, ex vivo, and in silico), and (4) cytotoxicity and safety profiles. Additionally, innovative drug delivery systems (e.g., nanoparticles and liposomes) are discussed. Focusing on preclinical studies of single plant alkaloids, this review includes 22 botanical families and 28 alkaloids that demonstrated anti-GBM activity. Most alkaloids act in a concentration-dependent manner by (1) reducing glioma cell viability, (2) suppressing proliferation, (3) inhibiting migration and invasion, (4) inducing cell death, (5) downregulating Bcl-2 and key signaling pathways, (6) exhibiting antiangiogenic effects, (7) reducing tumor weight, and (8) improving survival rates. The toxic and adverse effect analysis suggests that alkaloids such as noscapine, lycorine, capsaicin, chelerythrine, caffeine, boldine, and colchicine show favorable therapeutic potential. However, tetrandrine, nitidine, harmine, harmaline, cyclopamine, cocaine, and brucine may pose greater risks than benefits. Piperine’s toxicity and berberine’s poor bioavailability suggest the need for novel drug formulations. Several alkaloids (kukoamine A, cyclovirobuxine D, α-solanine, oxymatrine, rutaecarpine, and evodiamine) require further pharmacological and toxicological evaluation. Overall, while plant alkaloids show promise in glioblastoma therapy, progress in assessing their BBB penetration remains limited. More comprehensive studies integrating glioma research and advanced drug delivery technologies are needed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Anti-cancer Agents from Natural Products)
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32 pages, 5529 KiB  
Review
The Role of Natural Products from Herbal Medicine in TLR4 Signaling for Colorectal Cancer Treatment
by Yan Luo, Guochen Zhang, Chao Hu, Lijun Huang, Dong Wang, Zhejie Chen and Yumei Wang
Molecules 2024, 29(12), 2727; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29122727 - 7 Jun 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3397
Abstract
The toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling pathway constitutes an intricate network of protein interactions primarily involved in inflammation and cancer. This pathway triggers intracellular signaling cascades, modulating transcription factors that regulate gene expression related to immunity and malignancy. Previous studies showed that colon [...] Read more.
The toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling pathway constitutes an intricate network of protein interactions primarily involved in inflammation and cancer. This pathway triggers intracellular signaling cascades, modulating transcription factors that regulate gene expression related to immunity and malignancy. Previous studies showed that colon cancer patients with low TLR4 expression exhibit extended survival times and the TLR4 signaling pathway holds a significant role in CRC pathogenesis. In recent years, traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) have garnered substantial attention as an alternative therapeutic modality for CRC, primarily due to their multifaceted composition and ability to target multiple pathways. Emerging evidence indicates that specific TCM products, such as andrographolide, rosmarinic acid, baicalin, etc., have the potential to impede CRC development through the TLR4 signaling pathway. Here, we review the role and biochemical processes of the TLR4 signaling pathway in CRC, and natural products from TCMs affecting the TLR4 pathway. This review sheds light on potential treatment strategies utilizing natural TLR4 inhibitors for CRC, which contributes to the advancement of research and accelerates their clinical integration into CRC treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Anti-cancer Agents from Natural Products)
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