Cancer is the second leading cause of death after
cardiovascular disease. In 2015, >8.7 million people died worldwide due to
cancer, and by 2030 this figure is expected to increase to ~13.1 million.
Tumor chemotherapy drugs have specific toxicity and side effects, and patients can also develop secondary drug resistance. To prevent and treat
cancer, scientists have developed novel drugs with improved antitumor effects and decreased toxicity.
Ailanthone (AIL) is a
quassinoid extract from the
traditional Chinese medicine plant Ailanthus altissima, which is known to have anti-inflammatory and
antimalarial effects. An increasing number of studies have focused on AIL due to its antitumor activity. AIL can inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis by up- or downregulating
cancer-associated molecules, which ultimately leads to
cancer cell death. Antitumor effects of AIL have been observed in
melanoma,
acute myeloid leukemia, bladder, lung, breast, gastric and
prostate cancer and vestibular
neurilemmoma. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first review to describe the antitumor mechanisms of AIL.