Modulation of angiogenesis by dietary phytoconstituents in the prevention and intervention of breast cancer

Abstract

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths for women in the United States and the rest of the world. About 8% of women develop breast cancer during the course of their lives. Dietary habits are closely associated with both the risk and progression of breast cancer. Dietary agents have accumulated increasing importance with regards to the prevention and treatment of breast cancer. One such manner by which these compounds can target breast cancer development and progression is through interference with the angiogenic pathways. Angiogenesis is an intricate process that involves the development of new capillaries from previously existing blood vessels. Disruption of this pathway, therefore, provides a novel and effective avenue for therapeutic intervention of breast cancer. Various phytochemicals found in the diet kill breast cancer cells in vitro and prevent as well as suppress breast cancer progression in various preclinical animal models. This review examines the value of dietary phytoconstituents in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer through modulation of the intricate and complex process of angiogenesis. In addition, the potential benefits, challenges, and future directions of research on anti-angiogenic dietary phytochemicals in the prevention and intervention of breast cancer are also addressed.

Copper improves the anti-angiogenic activity of disulfiram through the EGFR/Src/VEGF pathway in gliomas

“…progression [30]. Anti-angiogenic therapy is becoming one of the most promising and efficient treatments for cancer [31].…”

Crateva adansonii DC, an African ethnomedicinal plant, exerts cytotoxicity in vitro and prevents experimental mammary tumorigenesis in vivo

“…Increasingly, various medicinal plants are being screened for anticancer properties and may provide effective therapeutic agents. Numerous phytoconstituents against breast tumour cells are well documented as well as those preventing the occurrence of mammary tumours in various experimental animal models via modulation of proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, oxidative stress, inflammation, angiogenesis and several cell signalling pathways involved in breast cancer (Sinha et al, 2012;Reuben et al, 2012;Vadodkar et al, 2012;Parikh et al, 2014;Siddiqui et al, 2015;Magne Nde et al, 2015;Sinha et al, 2016).…”

γ-tocotrienol inhibits angiogenesis-dependent growth of human hepatocellular carcinoma through abrogation of AKT/mTOR pathway in an orthotopic mouse model

“…Treatment with endogenous angiogenic inhibitors such as endostatin and angiostatin has been found to reverse the angiogenic switch thereby significantly preventing growth of tumor vasculature [15, 16]. However, most of the anti-angiogenic therapies currently available for treatment have significant side effects [14, 17]. So the identication of pharmacological agents targeting angiogenesis is considered an important strategy both for cancer prevention and treatment.…”