Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
9.4
4.8
Journals
Biomolecules
Special Issues
Recent Advances in Natural Products Research as Therapeutic Agents: Focus...
share announcement

Recent Advances in Natural Products Research as Therapeutic Agents: Focus on Treatment of Cancer

A special issue of Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X). This special issue belongs to the section "Chemical Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 April 2023) | Viewed by 16143

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Ananth Pannala

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Applied Sciences, University of Brighton, Brighton, UK
Interests: advanced drug delivery systems; biomaterials; nanotechnology; liposomes; curcumin; flavonoid chemistry; drug encapsulation; targeted drug delivery; cancer
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Natural products have been used for the treatment of diverse medical conditions since time immemorial. The chemical diversity of these compounds found in nature, ranging from flavonoids, alkaloids, glycosides and terpenoids, to name but a few, has proven to be a rich source of lead compounds for drug discovery, even if they are not therapeutically active themselves. Extensive medical research in the last century has led to the establishment of many natural compounds, such as vincristine, vinblastine, taxol, camptothecin, and paclitaxel, as potent anticancer agents that are currently used in the clinic for treating various types of cancer. Regardless, transforming bioactive compounds isolated from nature into medicinal products is a challenge, not least because of the limitations to our understanding of their mechanisms of action and subsequent challenges in product development.

The focus of this Special Issue of Biomolecules will be on exploring the most recent advances in the use of natural products for the treatment of cancer. This issue will focus on various aspects of natural products (specific isolated compounds) research, including, but not limited to, novel compounds isolated from natural sources that have shown promising results for the treatment of cancer; exploring and understanding the mechanisms of action of natural compounds in cancer treatment; drug delivery solutions for targeted treatment of cancer using natural products (including advanced drug delivery systems); and more. Modifications to natural compounds in novel drug delivery approaches such as using monoclonal antibodies as targeting molecules coupled with natural compounds are also encouraged in this context. An overview of selected natural products such as curcumin, resveratrol, and quercetin that have been reported to possess potent anticancer activity in a number of in vitro and in vivo models will be included. Both review and research (priority) articles are welcome.

Dr. Ananth Pannala
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. Biomolecules 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 2700 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 products
  • cancer
  • curcumin
  • flavonoids
  • drug delivery
  • nanotechnology
  • polymeric nanoparticles
  • liposomes
  • drug targeting
  • biomaterials

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

35 pages, 4507 KiB  
Article
Increasing Cellular Uptake and Permeation of Curcumin Using a Novel Polymer-Surfactant Formulation
by Zhenqi Liu, Alison B. Lansley, Tu Ngoc Duong, John D. Smart and Ananth S. Pannala
Biomolecules 2022, 12(12), 1739; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom12121739 - 23 Nov 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2026
Abstract
Several therapeutically active molecules are poorly water-soluble, thereby creating a challenge for pharmaceutical scientists to develop an active solution for their oral drug delivery. This study aimed to investigate the potential for novel polymer-surfactant-based formulations (designated A and B) to improve the solubility [...] Read more.
Several therapeutically active molecules are poorly water-soluble, thereby creating a challenge for pharmaceutical scientists to develop an active solution for their oral drug delivery. This study aimed to investigate the potential for novel polymer-surfactant-based formulations (designated A and B) to improve the solubility and permeability of curcumin. A solubility study and characterization studies (FTIR, DSC and XRD) were conducted for the various formulations. The cytotoxicity of formulations and commercial comparators was tested via MTT and LDH assays, and their permeability by in vitro drug transport and cellular drug uptake was established using the Caco-2 cell model. The apparent permeability coefficients (Papp) are considered a good indicator of drug permeation. However, it can be argued that the magnitude of Papp, when used to reflect the permeability of the cells to the drug, can be influenced by the initial drug concentration (C0) in the donor chamber. Therefore, Papp (suspension) and Papp (solution) were calculated based on the different values of C0. It was clear that Papp (solution) can more accurately reflect drug permeation than Papp (suspension). Formulation A, containing Soluplus® and vitamin E TPGs, significantly increased the permeation and cellular uptake of curcumin compared to other samples, which is believed to be related to the increased aqueous solubility of the drug in this formulation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Natural Products Research as Therapeutic Agents: Focus on Treatment of Cancer)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

23 pages, 1902 KiB  
Review
PI3K–AKT-Targeting Breast Cancer Treatments: Natural Products and Synthetic Compounds
by Yeqin Yuan, Huizhi Long, Ziwei Zhou, Yuting Fu and Binyuan Jiang
Biomolecules 2023, 13(1), 93; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom13010093 - 2 Jan 2023
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 4418
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women. The high incidence of breast cancer, which is continuing to rise, makes treatment a significant challenge. The PI3K–AKT pathway and its downstream targets influence various cellular processes. In recent years, mounting evidence has [...] Read more.
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women. The high incidence of breast cancer, which is continuing to rise, makes treatment a significant challenge. The PI3K–AKT pathway and its downstream targets influence various cellular processes. In recent years, mounting evidence has shown that natural products and synthetic drugs targeting PI3K–AKT signaling have the potential to treat breast cancer. In this review, we discuss the role of the PI3K–AKT signaling pathway in the occurrence and development of breast cancer and highlight PI3K–AKT-targeting natural products and drugs in clinical trials for the treatment of breast cancer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Natural Products Research as Therapeutic Agents: Focus on Treatment of Cancer)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

26 pages, 2502 KiB  
Review
Focusing on the Role of Natural Products in Overcoming Cancer Drug Resistance: An Autophagy-Based Perspective
by Jiaqi Yao, Chi Ma, Kaixuan Feng, Guang Tan and Qingping Wen
Biomolecules 2022, 12(11), 1565; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom12111565 - 26 Oct 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1970
Abstract
Autophagy is a critical cellular adaptive response in tumor formation. Nutritional deficiency and hypoxia exacerbate autophagic flux in established malignancies, promoting tumor cell proliferation, migration, metastasis, and resistance to therapeutic interventions. Pro-survival autophagy inhibition may be a promising treatment option for advanced cancer. [...] Read more.
Autophagy is a critical cellular adaptive response in tumor formation. Nutritional deficiency and hypoxia exacerbate autophagic flux in established malignancies, promoting tumor cell proliferation, migration, metastasis, and resistance to therapeutic interventions. Pro-survival autophagy inhibition may be a promising treatment option for advanced cancer. Furthermore, excessive or persistent autophagy is cytotoxic, resulting in tumor cell death. Targeted autophagy activation has also shown significant promise in the fight against tumor drug resistance. Several research groups have examined the ability of natural products (NPs) such as alkaloids, terpenoids, polyphenols, and anthraquinones to serve as autophagy inhibitors or activators. The data support the capacity of NPs that promote lethal autophagy or inhibit pro-survival autophagy from being employed against tumor drug resistance. This paper discusses the potential applications of NPs that regulate autophagy in the fight against tumor drug resistance, some limitations of the current studies, and future research needs and priorities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Natural Products Research as Therapeutic Agents: Focus on Treatment of Cancer)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

27 pages, 1516 KiB  
Review
Rosmarinic Acid and Related Dietary Supplements: Potential Applications in the Prevention and Treatment of Cancer
by Jiachao Zhao, Liwei Xu, Di Jin, Yu Xin, Lin Tian, Tan Wang, Daqing Zhao, Zeyu Wang and Jing Wang
Biomolecules 2022, 12(10), 1410; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom12101410 - 2 Oct 2022
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3624
Abstract
Cancer constitutes a severe threat to human health and quality of life and is one of the most significant causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Natural dietary products have drawn substantial attention in cancer treatment and prevention due to their availability and absence [...] Read more.
Cancer constitutes a severe threat to human health and quality of life and is one of the most significant causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Natural dietary products have drawn substantial attention in cancer treatment and prevention due to their availability and absence of toxicity. Rosmarinic acid (RA) is known for its excellent antioxidant properties and is safe and effective in preventing and inhibiting tumors. This review summarizes recent publications on culture techniques, extraction processes, and anti-tumor applications of RA-enriched dietary supplements. We discuss techniques to improve RA bioavailability and provide a mechanistic discussion of RA regarding tumor prevention, treatment, and adjuvant therapy. RA exhibits anticancer activity by regulating oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, cell cycle, apoptosis, and metastasis. These data suggest that daily use of RA-enriched dietary supplements can contribute to tumor prevention and treatment. RA has the potential for application in anti-tumor drug development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Natural Products Research as Therapeutic Agents: Focus on Treatment of Cancer)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 1475 KiB  
Review
Nrf2-Related Therapeutic Effects of Curcumin in Different Disorders
by Soudeh Ghafouri-Fard, Hamed Shoorei, Zahra Bahroudi, Bashdar Mahmud Hussen, Seyedeh Fahimeh Talebi, Mohammad Taheri and Seyed Abdulmajid Ayatollahi
Biomolecules 2022, 12(1), 82; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom12010082 - 5 Jan 2022
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3161
Abstract
Curcumin is a natural polyphenol with antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammation effects. This substance has been shown to affect the activity of Nrf2 signaling, a pathway that is activated in response to stress and decreases levels of reactive oxygen species and electrophilic substances. [...] Read more.
Curcumin is a natural polyphenol with antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammation effects. This substance has been shown to affect the activity of Nrf2 signaling, a pathway that is activated in response to stress and decreases levels of reactive oxygen species and electrophilic substances. Nrf2-related effects of curcumin have been investigated in different contexts, including gastrointestinal disorders, ischemia-reperfusion injury, diabetes mellitus, nervous system diseases, renal diseases, pulmonary diseases, cardiovascular diseases as well as cancers. In the current review, we discuss the Nrf2-mediated therapeutic effects of curcumin in these conditions. The data reviewed in the current manuscript indicates curcumin as a potential activator of Nrf2 and a therapeutic substance for the protection of cells in several pathological conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Natural Products Research as Therapeutic Agents: Focus on Treatment of Cancer)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-5
Back to TopTop