Biosynthesis of anticancer phytochemical compounds and their chemistry

Abstract

Cancer is a severe health issue, and cancer cases are rising yearly. New anticancer drugs have been developed as our understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind diverse solid tumors, and metastatic malignancies have increased. Plant-derived phytochemical compounds target different oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, protein channels, immune cells, protein channels, and pumps, which have attracted much attention for treating cancer in preclinical studies. Despite the anticancer capabilities of these phytochemical compounds, systemic toxicity, medication resistance, and limited absorption remain more significant obstacles in clinical trials. Therefore, drug combinations of new phytochemical compounds, phytonanomedicine, semi-synthetic, and synthetic analogs should be considered to supplement the existing cancer therapies. It is also crucial to consider different strategies for increased production of phytochemical bioactive substances. The primary goal of this review is to highlight several bioactive anticancer phytochemical compounds found in plants, preclinical research, their synthetic and semi-synthetic analogs, and clinical trials. Additionally, biotechnological and metabolic engineering strategies are explored to enhance the production of bioactive phytochemical compounds. Ligands and their interactions with their putative targets are also explored through molecular docking studies. Therefore, emphasis is given to gathering comprehensive data regarding modern biotechnology, metabolic engineering, molecular biology, and in silico tools.

Comparative Evaluation of Anticancer Activity of Natural Methoxylated Flavones Xanthomicrol and Eupatilin in A375 Skin Melanoma Cells

“…Various natural isolated metabolites and extracts from plants have revealed therapeutic effects on different types of cancers [ 2 , 50 , 51 ]. Despite the anticancer properties of phytochemicals, medication resistance, systemic toxicity, and limited absorption represent significant problems in clinical trials [ 50 ].…”

“…Various natural isolated metabolites and extracts from plants have revealed therapeutic effects on different types of cancers [ 2 , 50 , 51 ]. Despite the anticancer properties of phytochemicals, medication resistance, systemic toxicity, and limited absorption represent significant problems in clinical trials [ 50 ]. Moreover, the detailed mechanisms underlying the anticancer properties of phytochemicals need to be further explored to facilitate the development of natural product-based anticancer agents [ 51 ].…”

Recent Developments in Nanoparticle Formulations for Resveratrol Encapsulation as an Anticancer Agent

“…A notable statistic underscores the significance of natural origins, indicating that 51% of the 1211 newly approved small-molecule drugs worldwide between 1981 and 2014 were derived from natural products [ 20 ]. Polyphenols have been known to have various preventive effects on different conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disorder, and obesity [ 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ], and have been extensively studied to determine their anticancer potential and incorporate them into cancer treatment modalities like chemotherapy and targeted therapy [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ].…”

The therapeutic potential of natural metabolites in targeting endocrine-independent HER-2-negative breast cancer

“…This cluster of endocrine-independent HER-2 negative BCs represents an unresolved clinical challenge, characterized by a dearth of treatment alternatives based on chemotherapy agents ( Cardoso et al, 2020 ; Cortes et al, 2020 ; Modi et al, 2020 ; Bardia et al, 2021 ; Corti et al, 2021 ; Michalak and Püsküllüoğlu, 2022 ; Püsküllüoğlu and Michalak, 2022 ; Siddiqui et al, 2022 ). Majority of currently used drugs serving as a backbone to the most effective approved options are naturally derived ( Table 1 , based on product characteristics, accessed on 5th September 2023) ( Cortes et al, 2020 ; Modi et al, 2020 ; Pullaiah and Raveendran, 2020 ; Rugo et al, 2020 ; Bardia et al, 2021 ; Corti et al, 2021 ; Ibrahim, 2021 ; Michalak and Püsküllüoğlu, 2022 ; Püsküllüoğlu and Michalak, 2022 ; Sekar et al, 2022 ; Siddiqui et al, 2022 ; Aloss and Hamar, 2023 ; Dogra and Kumar, 2023 ; Kciuk et al, 2023 ).…”

“…Medications such as check point inhibitors or targeted drugs have not yielded the anticipated breakthrough in therapy, while newly registered antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) still rely on chemotherapy agents derived from living organisms ( Cortes et al, 2020 ; Modi et al, 2020 ; Pullaiah and Raveendran, 2020 ; Rugo et al, 2020 ; Bardia et al, 2021 ; Corti et al, 2021 ; Ibrahim, 2021 ; Michalak and Püsküllüoğlu, 2022 ; Püsküllüoğlu and Michalak, 2022 ; Sekar et al, 2022 ; Siddiqui et al, 2022 ; Aloss and Hamar, 2023 ; Dogra and Kumar, 2023 ; Kciuk et al, 2023 ).…”