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The Role of Natural Compounds in Cancer Therapy
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The Role of Natural Compounds in Cancer Therapy

A special issue of Current Issues in Molecular Biology (ISSN 1467-3045). This special issue belongs to the section "Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 February 2025 | Viewed by 1107

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Alok Bhushan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Département of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jefferson Collège of Pharmacy, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
Interests: cancer chemotherapy; pharmacology; signal transduction; invasion; combination therapy; apoptosis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A significant number of small-molecule medicines that are used today for the treatment of cancer are natural products or derivatives of natural products. Natural products are bioactive compounds that affect cellular processes including cell metabolism, signaling, and transcription. Advancements in new technologies have been critical in the development of antibody-based therapies. These antibodies bind specific proteins in the cancer cells to affect the activity of specific cancer-causing elements and are also used in targeting specific cancer cells to deliver drugs by designing antibodies with conjugated small molecules.  Chemotherapy using small molecules still remains an approach to treat cancer patients successfully. The mechanisms of the drugs may be altered by natural compounds by affecting cellular processes as well as metabolism, which would affect the outcome of the successful chemotherapy. The natural compounds may also affect the efficacy of the drugs as well as the development of resistance.

This Special Issue invites papers and reviews that add to our knowledge regarding the effects of various natural products on cellular processes and their impact on treatments with current therapies at the molecular level. Submissions can include combination therapies with natural products as well as the repurposing of currently known drugs.

Prof. Dr. Alok Bhushan
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Current Issues in Molecular Biology is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • natural compounds
  • cancer
  • repurposing
  • combination
  • polychemotherapy
  • pharmaceuticals
  • nutraceuticals
  • molecular targets
  • metabolism
  • metabolomics
  • enhancing efficacy
  • immunotherapy

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1918 KiB  
Article
Screening of the Antimelanoma Activity of Monoterpenes—In Vitro Experiments on Four Human Melanoma Lines
by Paula Wróblewska-Łuczka, Laura Kulenty, Katarzyna Załuska-Ogryzek, Agnieszka Góralczyk and Jarogniew J. Łuszczki
Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2025, 47(2), 97; https://doi.org/10.3390/cimb47020097 (registering DOI) - 3 Feb 2025
Abstract
(1) Malignant melanoma is the most aggressive type of malignant tumor caused by a dysfunction of melanocytes. Despite progress in the treatment of melanoma, further research and search for new potential drugs are necessary to optimize the therapy. (2) The aim of this [...] Read more.
(1) Malignant melanoma is the most aggressive type of malignant tumor caused by a dysfunction of melanocytes. Despite progress in the treatment of melanoma, further research and search for new potential drugs are necessary to optimize the therapy. (2) The aim of this study was to evaluate the antiproliferative activity of eight selected monoterpenes by MTT and LDH assays on four malignant melanoma cell lines. (3) Myrcene, rhodinol and nerol did not show any significant anticancer effect on melanoma cell lines, but citral, carvacrol, citronellol, thymol and geraniol showed a significant anti-viability effect. Our studies have shown that the most effective terpene among those tested in inhibiting melanoma cell viability was carvacrol, with the lowest IC50 in the range of 0.05 ± 0.00 to 0.06 ± 0.01 mM. Moreover, it did not negatively affect normal human keratinocyte cells. (4) Metastatic melanoma is very difficult to treat, and some terpenes have the ability to sensitize cells to other chemicals; so, it is worth investigating their antimelanoma potential, as terpenes could become an adjuvant to traditional treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Natural Compounds in Cancer Therapy)
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11 pages, 1472 KiB  
Article
Exploring the Anticancer Potential of MonoHER (7-Mono-O-(β-Hydroxyethyl)-Rutoside): Mitochondrial-Dependent Apoptosis in HepG2 Cells
by Chujie Li, Yue Wang, Jian Liang, Guido R. M. M. Haenen, Yonger Chen, Zhengwen Li, Ming Zhang and Ludwig J. Dubois
Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2025, 47(1), 36; https://doi.org/10.3390/cimb47010036 - 9 Jan 2025
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Abstract
Background/Aim: Flavonoids are a group of polyphenols, abundantly present in our diet. Although, based on their chemoprotective effects, intake of flavonoids is associated with a high anticancer potential as evidenced in in vitro and in vivo models, the molecular mechanism is still elusive. [...] Read more.
Background/Aim: Flavonoids are a group of polyphenols, abundantly present in our diet. Although, based on their chemoprotective effects, intake of flavonoids is associated with a high anticancer potential as evidenced in in vitro and in vivo models, the molecular mechanism is still elusive. This study explores the antiproliferative and cytotoxic effects of the semi-synthetic flavonoid MonoHER (7-mono-O-(β-hydroxyethyl)-rutoside) in vitro on cancer cells. Materials and Methods: HepG2 liver, MCF7 breast, and H1299 lung cancer cells were grown under ambient conditions with or without MonoHER exposure. CCK8 assay was used to assess cell viability. Apoptosis, JC-1, and mitochondrial mass were determined using flow cytometry and confocal analysis. The effects of monoHER on apoptosis proteins were detected by confocal microscopy analysis and Western blot. Results: It was found that MonoHER can reduce HepG2 cells’ and MCF7 cells’ viability, but not H1299 cells’, and induced apoptosis only in HepG2 cells. MonoHER has the potential to enhance the expression of caspase-9 and caspase-3, to damage mitochondria, and to provoke the release of cytochrome C from the mitochondria. Conclusion: MonoHER can inhibit cell growth and induce apoptosis especially in HepG2 human liver cancer cells by triggering the mitochondrial signal transduction pathway, leading to the release of cytochrome C in the cytoplasm and the subsequent activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3. Future research should further explore MonoHER’s mechanism of action, efficacy, and potential for clinical translation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Natural Compounds in Cancer Therapy)
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