Molecular Insights into the Multifunctional Role of Natural Compounds: Autophagy Modulation and Cancer Prevention

Autophagy is a vacuolar, lysosomal degradation pathway for injured and damaged protein molecules and organelles in eukaryotic cells, which is controlled by nutrients and stress responses. Dysregulation of cellular autophagy may lead to various diseases such as neurodegenerative disease, obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and malignancy. Recently, natural compounds have come to attention for being able to modulate the autophagy pathway in cancer prevention, although the prospective role of autophagy in cancer treatment is very complex and not yet clearly elucidated. Numerous synthetic chemicals have been identified that modulate autophagy and are favorable candidates for cancer treatment, but they have adverse side effects. Therefore, different phytochemicals, which include natural compounds and their derivatives, have attracted significant attention for use as autophagy modulators in cancer treatment with minimal side effects. In the current review, we discuss the promising role of natural compounds in modulating the autophagy pathway to control and prevent cancer, and provide possible therapeutic options.

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Molecular Insights into the Multifunctional Role of Natural Compounds: Autophagy Modulation and Cancer Prevention

Biomedicines ◽

10.3390/biomedicines8110517 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (11) ◽

pp. 517

Author(s):

Md. Ataur Rahman ◽

MD. Hasanur Rahman ◽

Md. Shahadat Hossain ◽

Partha Biswas ◽

Rokibul Islam ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Side Effects ◽

Cancer Treatment ◽

Cancer Prevention ◽

Stress Responses ◽

Natural Compounds ◽

Degradation Pathway ◽

Synthetic Chemicals ◽

Cellular Autophagy ◽

Autophagy Pathway

Autophagy is a vacuolar, lysosomal degradation pathway for injured and damaged protein molecules and organelles in eukaryotic cells, which is controlled by nutrients and stress responses. Dysregulation of cellular autophagy may lead to various diseases such as neurodegenerative disease, obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and malignancies. Recently, natural compounds have come to attention for being able to modulate the autophagy pathway in cancer prevention, although the prospective role of autophagy in cancer treatment is very complex and not yet clearly elucidated. Numerous synthetic chemicals have been identified that modulate autophagy and are favorable candidates for cancer treatment, but they have adverse side effects. Therefore, different phytochemicals, which include natural compounds and their derivatives, have attracted significant attention for use as autophagy modulators in cancer treatment with minimal side effects. In the current review, we discuss the promising role of natural compounds in modulating the autophagy pathway to control and prevent cancer, and provide possible therapeutic options.

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Zinc as a complementary treatment for cancer patients: a systematic review

Clinical and Experimental Medicine ◽

10.1007/s10238-020-00677-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

C. Hoppe ◽

S. Kutschan ◽

J. Dörfler ◽

J. Büntzel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Side Effects ◽

Cancer Treatment ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Survival Data ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Oral Intake ◽

Quality Reporting ◽

Evidenced Based

AbstractZinc is a trace element that plays an important role in the immune system and cell growth. The role of zinc in cancer treatment has been discussed for some time, however without reaching an evidenced-based consensus. Therefore, we aim to critically examine and review existing evidence on the role of zinc during cancer treatment. In January 2019, a systematic search was conducted searching five electronic databases (Embase, Cochrane, PsychINFO, CINAHL and PubMed) to find studies concerning the use, effectiveness and potential harm of zinc therapy on cancer patients. Out of initial 5244 search results, 19 publications concerning 23 studies with 1230 patients were included in this systematic review. The patients treated with zinc were mainly diagnosed with head and neck cancer and underwent chemo-, radio- or concurrent radio-chemotherapy. Interventions included the intake of different amounts of zinc supplements and oral zinc rinses. Outcomes (primary endpoints) investigated were mucositis, xerostomia, dysgeusia, pain, weight, dermatitis and oral intake of nutrients. Secondary endpoints were survival data, quality of life assessments and aspects of fatigue, immune responses and toxicities of zinc. The studies were of moderate quality reporting heterogeneous results. Studies have shown a positive impact on the mucositis after radiotherapy. No protection was seen against mucositis after chemotherapy. There was a trend to reduced loss of taste, less dry mouth and oral pain after zinc substitution. No impact was seen on weight, QoL measurements, fatigue, and survival. The risk of side effects from zinc appears to be relatively small. Zinc could be useful in the prevention of oral toxicities during irradiation. It does not help in chemotherapy-induced side effects.

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Evolving Concepts of Glycogen-Selective Autophagy

10.20944/preprints202106.0594.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Parisa Koutsifeli ◽

Upasna Varma ◽

Lorna Daniels ◽

Marco Annandale ◽

Xun Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Degradation Pathway ◽

Specific Protein ◽

Current Evidence ◽

Evolutionary Stage ◽

Major Pathway ◽

Selective Autophagy ◽

Protein Partners ◽

Health And Disease ◽

Autophagy Pathway

Macro-autophagy is an essential cellular process involved in degradation of aberrant organelles and proteins. Initially proposed to be a ‘bulk’ degradation pathway, a more nuanced appreciation of selective autophagy pathways has emerged in recent years. The discovery of a glycogen-selective autophagy pathway (‘glycophagy’) has highlighted the importance of autophagy in regulating cellular metabolic homeostasis and identified a novel non-canonical major pathway of glycogen flux. The field of glycogen autophagy research is at an early evolutionary stage, but already it is clear that the implications of these discoveries are far-reaching and provide scope for multi-disciplinary investigations into the role of glycophagy in health and disease. With potential cognate protein partners identified, the opportunities for targeted intervention have become viable. Here we review the current evidence relating to specific protein mediators involved in glycophagy, and highlight areas of uncertainty that provide opportunity for further investigation.

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Cosmeceutical role of Medicinal plants / Herbs: A Review on commercially available Cosmetic ingredients

International Journal of Innovative Science & Technology ◽

10.22270/ijist.v3i4.27 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 70-73

Author(s):

Rahul Kumar Gupta ◽

Pradeep Soni ◽

Jitendra Shrivastava ◽

Pawan Rajput ◽

Shalini Parashar

Keyword(s):

Side Effects ◽

Medicinal Plants ◽

Cosmetic Products ◽

Delayed Effect ◽

Synthetic Chemicals ◽

Cosmetic Ingredients ◽

Cosmetic Industry ◽

Wide Range ◽

Herbal Cosmetics

Cosmeceuticals are cosmetic products intended to improve physical appearance, health, beauty and skin ailments. Drugs used to control acne, anti-wrinkle effects, protect from sun burn, improves complexation, delayed effect of ageing and improve skin textures, etc. are comes under category of cosmeceuticals. Cosmeceuticals may be synthetic, natural or hybrid depending upon their compositions. Herbal cosmeceuticals are gaining great attention now a day’s due to their wide range of availability and fewer side effects. There are enormous plants and natural ingredients available commercially as cosmeceuticals. Herbal cosmetics originated naturally from plants, sea, rock salt and soil, etc. Generally herbal cosmetics are free from harmful synthetic chemicals and considered safe to use. Many medicinal plants and herbs offers effect like cosmeceuticals and used extensively for same purpose globally. Natural herbs such as; Neem, Kapoor, Henna, Hirda, Behada, Amalaki, Bringaraj, Rosary Pea and Mandor, etc. are used in cosmetic industry for various purpose. This article presented a descriptive review on Herbal cosmeceuticals.

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Autophagy in Plant-Virus Interactions

Annual Review of Virology ◽

10.1146/annurev-virology-010220-054709 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 403-419 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Meng Yang ◽

Asigul Ismayil ◽

Yule Liu

Keyword(s):

Plant Virus ◽

Defense Mechanism ◽

Degradation Pathway ◽

Plant Viruses ◽

Antiviral Defense ◽

Autophagy Pathway ◽

Virus Interactions ◽

Plant Pathogen Interactions ◽

Cellular Components

Autophagy is a conserved vacuole/lysosome-mediated degradation pathway for clearing and recycling cellular components including cytosol, macromolecules, and dysfunctional organelles. In recent years, autophagy has emerged to play important roles in plant-pathogen interactions. It acts as an antiviral defense mechanism in plants. Moreover, increasing evidence shows that plant viruses can manipulate, hijack, or even exploit the autophagy pathway to promote pathogenesis, demonstrating the pivotal role of autophagy in the evolutionary arms race between hosts and viruses. In this review, we discuss recent findings about the antiviral and proviral roles of autophagy in plant-virus interactions.

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Enhancing Breast Cancer Treatment Using a Combination of Cannabidiol and Gold Nanoparticles for Photodynamic Therapy

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms20194771 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (19) ◽

pp. 4771 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Dimakatso R. Mokoena ◽

Blassan P. George ◽

Heidi Abrahamse

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Photodynamic Therapy ◽

Side Effects ◽

Cancer Treatment ◽

Gold Nanoparticle ◽

Cannabis Sativa ◽

Minimal Risk ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Immunological Factors

Indisputably, cancer is a global crisis that requires immediate intervention. Despite the use of conventional treatments over the past decades, it is acceptable to admit that these are expensive, invasive, associated with many side effects and, therefore, a reduced quality of life. One of the most possible solutions to this could be the use of gold nanoparticle (AuNP) conjugated photodynamic therapy (PDT) in combination with cannabidiol (CBD), a Cannabis derivative from the Cannabis sativa. Since the use of Cannabis has always been associated with recreation and psychoactive qualities, the positive effects of Cannabis or its derivatives on cancer treatment have been misunderstood and hence misinterpreted. On the other hand, AuNP-PDT is the most favoured form of treatment for cancer, due to its augmented specificity and minimal risk of side effects compared to conventional treatments. However, its use requires the consideration of several physical, biologic, pharmacologic and immunological factors, which may hinder its effectiveness if not taken into consideration. In this review, the role of gold nanoparticle mediated PDT combined with CBD treatment on breast cancer cells will be deliberated.

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Targeting Autophagic Pathways by Plant Natural Compounds in Cancer Treatment

Current Drug Targets ◽

10.2174/1389450121666200504072635 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (12) ◽

pp. 1237-1249

Author(s):

Fatemeh Forouzanfar ◽

Seyed Hadi Mousavi

Keyword(s):

Cancer Treatment ◽

Anticancer Agents ◽

Natural Compounds ◽

Degradation Pathway ◽

Plant Origin ◽

Lysosomal Degradation ◽

Clinical Safety ◽

Anticancer Effects ◽

Underlying Mechanisms ◽

Unique Potential

Nowadays, natural compounds of plant origin with anticancer effects have gained more attention because of their clinical safety and broad efficacy profiles. Autophagy is a multistep lysosomal degradation pathway that may have a unique potential for clinical benefit in the setting of cancer treatment. To retrieve articles related to the study, the databases of Google Scholar, Web of sciences, Medline and Scopus, using the following keywords: Autophagic pathways; herbal medicine, oncogenic autophagic pathways, tumor-suppressive autophagic pathways, and cancer were searched. Although natural plant compounds such as resveratrol, curcumin, oridonin, gossypol, and paclitaxel have proven anticancer potential via autophagic signaling pathways, there is still a great need to find new natural compounds and investigate the underlying mechanisms, to facilitate their clinical use as potential anticancer agents through autophagic induction.

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Natural Phytochemicals Derived from Gymnosperms in the Prevention and Treatment of Cancers

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms22126636 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (12) ◽

pp. 6636

Author(s):

Tayyebeh Ghaffari ◽

Joo-Hyun Hong ◽

Solmaz Asnaashari ◽

Safar Farajnia ◽

Abbas Delazar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Side Effects ◽

Cancer Treatment ◽

Anticancer Drug ◽

Cancer Chemotherapy ◽

Natural Compounds ◽

Pine Bark ◽

Anticancer Activities ◽

Anticancer Compounds ◽

Prevention And Treatment ◽

Rational Understanding

The incidence of various types of cancer is increasing globally. To reduce the critical side effects of cancer chemotherapy, naturally derived compounds have been considered for cancer treatment. Gymnosperms are a group of plants found worldwide that have traditionally been used for therapeutic applications. Paclitaxel is a commercially available anticancer drug derived from gymnosperms. Other natural compounds with anticancer activities, such as pinostrobin and pinocembrin, are extracted from pine heartwood, and pycnogenol and enzogenol from pine bark. Gymnosperms have great potential for further study for the discovery of new anticancer compounds. This review aims to provide a rational understanding and the latest developments in potential anticancer compounds derived from gymnosperms.

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Intervening on the Side Effects of Hormone-Dependent Cancer Treatment: The Role of Strength Training

Journal of Aging Research ◽

10.4061/2011/903291 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 2011 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Erik D. Hanson ◽

Ben F. Hurley

Keyword(s):

Side Effects ◽

Cancer Treatment ◽

Strength Training ◽

Complementary Therapy ◽

Future Research ◽

Research Needs ◽

Breast Cancers ◽

Aging Effects ◽

Independent Effects

While prostate and breast cancers are both highly prevalent and treatable using hormone suppression therapy, a constellation of side effects ensue, which mimic typical aging effects but at an accelerated pace. Because strength training is considered to be an intervention of choice for addressing the musculoskeletal and metabolic consequences of normal aging in older adults, it may be an effective intervention to attenuate or reverse the side effects of hormone-dependent cancer treatment. This paper provides an overview of the independent effects of strength training on common musculoskeletal and metabolic side effects of hormone-dependent therapy used for prostate and breast cancers. Strength training appears to be an effective complementary therapy for some of the adverse effects of prostate and breast treatment. Future research needs to address potential mechanisms to explain recent findings and to explore the role of strength training in addressing specific risk factors resulting from cancer treatment.

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