Natural substances derived from herbs or plants are promising sources of anticancer agents against colorectal cancer via triggering apoptosis.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:

Nowadays, one of the most common gastrointestinal cancers is colorectal cancer (CRC). Chemotherapy is still one of the main methods to treat cancer. However, the currently available synthetic chemotherapy drugs often cause serious adverse reactions. Apoptosis is generally considered as an ideal way for induction the death of tumour cells without the body's inflammatory response, and it is reported that lots of natural agents could trigger various cancer cells to apoptosis. The overarching aim of this project was to elucidate the specific mechanisms by which natural substances induce apoptosis in CRC cells and to be used as an alternative therapeutic option in the future.

KEY FINDINGS:

The mechanisms for the pro-apoptotic effects of natural substances derived from herbs or plants include death receptor pathway, mitochondrial pathway, endoplasmic reticulum stress pathway, related signal transduction pathways (PI3K/Akt, MAPK, p53 signalling), and so on.

SUMMARY:

This paper updated this information regarding the anti-tumour effects of natural agents via induction of apoptosis against CRC, which would be beneficial for future new drug research regarding natural products from herbs or plants.

• Authors: Zi-Bo Liu, Ting Zhang, Xun Ye, Zi-Qi Liu, Xue Sun, Li-Lin Zhang, Chun-Jie Wu
• Journal: The Journal of pharmacy and pharmacology (J Pharm Pharmacol) Vol. 74 Issue 2 Pg. 162-178 (Feb 01 2022) ISSN: 2042-7158 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 34559879 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)
• Copyright: © The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: [email protected].

Chemical References

• Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic

Topics

• Animals
• Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic (pharmacology)
• Apoptosis (drug effects)
• Colorectal Neoplasms (drug therapy)
• Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress (drug effects)
• Humans
• Mitochondria (metabolism)
• Plants, Medicinal (chemistry)
• Signal Transduction (drug effects)