Medicinal mushrooms in supportive cancer therapies: an approach to anti-cancer effects and putative mechanisms of action

2012 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dilani D. De Silva ◽  
Sylvie Rapior ◽  
Françoise Fons ◽  
Ali H. Bahkali ◽  
Kevin D. Hyde
2022 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 153473542110674
Author(s):  
Sierra J. McDonald ◽  
Brandon N. VanderVeen ◽  
Kandy T. Velazquez ◽  
Reilly T. Enos ◽  
Ciaran M. Fairman ◽  
...  

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers cause one-third of all cancer-related deaths worldwide. Natural compounds are emerging as alternative or adjuvant cancer therapies given their distinct advantage of manipulating multiple pathways to both suppress tumor growth and alleviate cancer comorbidities; however, concerns regarding efficacy, bioavailability, and safety are barriers to their development for clinical use. Emodin (1,3,8-trihydroxy-6-methylanthraquinone), a Chinese herb-derived anthraquinone, has been shown to exert anti-tumor effects in colon, liver, and pancreatic cancers. While the mechanisms underlying emodin’s tumoricidal effects continue to be unearthed, recent evidence highlights a role for mitochondrial mediated apoptosis, modulated stress and inflammatory signaling pathways, and blunted angiogenesis. The goals of this review are to (1) highlight emodin’s anti-cancer properties within GI cancers, (2) discuss the known anti-cancer mechanisms of action of emodin, (3) address emodin’s potential as a treatment complementary to standard chemotherapeutics, (4) assess the efficacy and bioavailability of emodin derivatives as they relate to cancer, and (5) evaluate the safety of emodin.


2014 ◽  
pp. 98-101
Author(s):  
Thi Bich Hien Le ◽  
Viet Duc Ho ◽  
Thi Hoai Nguyen

Nowadays, cancer treatment has been a big challenge to healthcare systems. Most of clinical anti-cancer therapies are toxic and cause adverse effects to human body. Therefore, current trend in science is seeking and screening of natural compounds which possess antineoplastic activities to utilize in treatment. Uvaria L. - Annonaceae includes approximately 175 species spreading over tropical areas of Asia, Australia, Africa and America. Studies on chemical compositions and pharmacological effects of Uvaria showed that several compound classes in this genus such as alkaloid, flavonoid, cyclohexen derivaties, acetogenin, steroid, terpenoid, etc. indicate considerable biological activities, for example anti-tumor, anti-cancer, antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, etc. Specifically, anti-cancer activity of fractions of extract and pure isolated compounds stands out for cytotoxicity against many cancer cell lines. This study provides an overview of anti-cancer activity of Uvaria and suggests a potential for further studies on seeking and developing novel anti-cancer compounds. Key words: Anti-cancer, Uvaria.


2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 957-966 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milene Aparecida Andrade ◽  
Mariana Aparecida Braga ◽  
Pedro Henrique Souza Cesar ◽  
Marcus Vinicius Cardoso Trento ◽  
Mariana Araújo Espósito ◽  
...  

Background: Essential oils are complex mixtures of low molecular weight compounds extracted from plants. Their main constituents are terpenes and phenylpropanoids, which are responsible for their biological and pharmaceutical properties, such as insecticidal, parasiticidal, antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antinociceptive, anticarcinogenic, and antitumor properties. Cancer is a complex genetic disease considered as a serious public health problem worldwide, accounting for more than 8 million deaths annually. Objective: The activities of prevention and treatment of different types of cancer and the medicinal potential of essential oils are addressed in this review. Conclusion: Several studies have demonstrated anti-carcinogenic and antitumor activity for many essential oils obtained from various plant species. They may be used as a substitution to or in addition to conventional anti-cancer therapy. Although many studies report possible mechanisms of action for essential oils compounds, more studies are necessary in order to apply them safely and appropriately in cancer therapy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 482-491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milena Kostadinova ◽  
Milena Mourdjeva

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) are localized throughout the adult body as a small population in the stroma of the tissue concerned. In injury, tissue damage, or tumor formation, they are activated and leave their niche to migrate to the site of injury, where they release a plethora of growth factors, cytokines, and other bioactive molecules. With the accumulation of data about the interaction between MSCs and tumor cells, the dualistic role of MSCs remains unclear. However, a large number of studies have demonstrated the natural anti-tumor properties inherent in MSCs, so this is the basis for intensive research for new methods using MSCs as a tool to suppress cancer cell development. This review focuses specifically on advanced approaches in modifying MSCs to become a powerful, precision- targeted tool for killing cancer cells, but not normal healthy cells. Suppression of tumor growth by MSCs can be accomplished by inducing apoptosis or cell cycle arrest, suppressing tumor angiogenesis, or blocking mechanisms mediating metastasis. In addition, the chemosensitivity of cancer cells may be increased so that the dose of the chemotherapeutic agent used could be significantly reduced.


2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 335-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Liu ◽  
Feiyang Liu ◽  
David L. Waller ◽  
Junfeng Wang ◽  
Qingsong Liu

2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 1340.3-1340
Author(s):  
H. Kim ◽  
Y. Cho ◽  
J. H. Kim

Background:Chondrosarcomas are cartilaginous tumors that constitute one-third of skeletal system cancers. Chondrosarcomas are capable of transitioning to highly metastatic and treatment-refractory states, resulting in significant patient mortality. However, the molecular events accompanying this behavior remain unknown.Objectives:We aimed to uncover the molecular pathway underlying such tumor progression that confers a higher malignancy to chondrosarcoma.Methods:We conducted unsupervised gene co-expression network analyses using transcriptomes of patients with chondrosarcoma and extracted a characteristic transcription network underlying chondrosarcoma malignancy. By implementing a system-level upstream analysis of this gene network, we identified the transcriptional factor as a key regulator governing chondrosarcoma progression. We unraveled the functional roles of the identified factor in promoting tumor growth and metastasis of chondrosarcomas in the context of their unique microenvironments.Results:By conducting system-level upstream analysis, we identified a factor as a transcriptional regulator that governs the malignancy gene module. The identified factor was upregulated in chondrosarcoma biopsies associated with a high histological grade and conferred chondrosarcoma cells invasiveness and tumor-initiating capacity. In an orthotopic xenograft mouse model, the identified factor modulated local outgrowth and pulmonary metastasis of chondrosarcoma. Pharmacological inhibition of the identified factor in conjunction with the chemotherapy agents such as cisplatin or doxorubicin synergistically enhanced chondrosarcoma cell apoptosis and abolished malignant phenotypes of chondrosarcoma in mice.Conclusion:Our study provides a proof of concept evidence that inhibiting the identified factor suppresses progression of chondrosarcoma and improves the efficacy of chemotherapy in cellular and pre-clinical levels. Taken together, we believe that our findings provide novel molecular insights for the development of new anti-cancer therapies to target chondrosarcomas.References:[1]Gelderblom H, et al. The clinical approach towards chondrosarcoma. Oncologist 13, 320-329 (2008)Disclosure of Interests:None declared


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1197
Author(s):  
Julia Pohl ◽  
Raluca-Ileana Mincu ◽  
Simone M. Mrotzek ◽  
Reza Wakili ◽  
Amir A. Mahabadi ◽  
...  

Objective: To evaluate a new electrocardiographic (ECG) score reflecting domains of electrical and structural alterations in therapy-naïve cancer patients to assess their risk of cardiotoxicity. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of 134 therapy-naïve consecutive cancer patients in our two university hospitals concerning four ECG score parameters: Contiguous Q-waves, markers of left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy, QRS duration and JTc prolongation. Cardiotoxicity was assessed after a short-term follow-up (up to 12 months). Results: Of all the patients (n = 25), 19% reached 0 points, 50% (n = 67) reached 1 point, 25% (n = 33) reached 2 points, 5% (n = 7) reached 3 points and 0.7% reached 4 or 5 points (n = 1 respectively). The incidence of cardiotoxicity (n = 28 [21%]) increased with the ECG score, with 0 points at 0%, 1 point 7.5%, 2 points 55%, 3 points 71% and ≥3 points 50%. In the ROC (Receiver operating curves) analysis, the best cut-off for predicting cardiotoxicity was an ECG score of ≥2 points (sensitivity 82%, specificity 82%, AUC 0.84, 95% CI 0.77–0.92, p < 0.0001) which was then defined as a high-risk score. High-risk patients did not differ concerning their age, LV ejection fraction, classical cardiovascular risk factors or cardiac biomarkers compared to those with a low-risk ECG score. Conclusion: ECG scoring prior to the start of anti-cancer therapies may help to identify therapy-naïve cancer patients at a higher risk for the development of cardiotoxicity.


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