Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
9.0
4.9
Journals
IJMS
Special Issues
Natural Products in Cancer Prevention and Treatment—Second Edition
ijms-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for IJMS Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Natural Products in Cancer Prevention and Treatment—Second Edition

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Bioactives and Nutraceuticals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2026 | Viewed by 2323

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Simona Serini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Translational Medicine and Surgery, Section of General Pathology, School of Medicine and Surgery, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo F. Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy
Interests: cancer; nutrition; omega-3 fatty acids; antioxidants; phenolic compounds; inflammation; neurodegenerative diseases; metabolic diseases
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Gabriella Calviello

E-Mail
Guest Editor
Department of Translational Medicine and Surgery, Section of General Pathology, School of Medicine and Surgery, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo F. Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy
Interests: cancer; nutrition; omega-3 fatty acids; antioxidants; phenolic compounds; inflammation; neurodegenerative diseases; metabolic diseases
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cancer is a noncommunicable disease characterized by the uncontrolled proliferation of cells. It is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020. Despite the use of innovative strategies such as targeted therapy and immunotherapy, in most cases, chemotherapy and radiation therapy are still the predominantly used forms of therapy. However, since they mainly act by damaging the DNA of rapidly dividing cancer cells, they also affect normal cells with high rates of proliferation, and can thus be associated with deleterious side effects. Moreover, drug resistance very frequently arises in treated patients, and targeted therapy and immunotherapy have also been associated with undesired side effects. As a result, there has been growing interest in new therapeutic approaches that have efficacious antineoplastic effects and are safe for normal cells. In recent years, natural compounds extracted from vegetables, fruits, and other dietary constituents, such as marine polyunsaturated fatty acids and minerals, have been widely studied for their potential to prevent cancer or for their use in combination with conventional or innovative anti-neoplastic therapies to improve their beneficial effects against cancer cells and reduce the concentration of drugs used.

This Special Issue will highlight the results of current preclinical and clinical studies focused on cancer and on anti-neoplastic therapeutic strategies involving natural products. In particular, it will provide an overview of novel molecular pathways targeted by natural products that are crucial for cancer treatments; we therefore invite researchers to contribute original articles and reviews on these topics.

Dr. Simona Serini
Dr. Gabriella Calviello
Guest Editors

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. 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
  • therapeutic strategies
  • novel molecular pathways

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (3 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:
25 pages, 2293 KB  
Review
Natural Products Targeting Key Molecular Hallmarks in Gastric Cancer: Focus on Apoptosis, Inflammation, and Chemoresistance
by Daniel Simancas-Racines, Jaen Cagua-Ordoñez, Jaime Angamarca-Iguago, Juan Marcos Parise-Vasco and Claudia Reytor-González
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(3), 1347; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27031347 - 29 Jan 2026
Viewed by 807
Abstract
Natural products have emerged as promising multi-target agents for addressing the complex biology of gastric cancer, a malignancy characterized by marked molecular heterogeneity, late clinical presentation, and frequent resistance to systemic therapies. This narrative synthesis integrates primarily preclinical evidence, with emerging clinical data, [...] Read more.
Natural products have emerged as promising multi-target agents for addressing the complex biology of gastric cancer, a malignancy characterized by marked molecular heterogeneity, late clinical presentation, and frequent resistance to systemic therapies. This narrative synthesis integrates primarily preclinical evidence, with emerging clinical data, on how naturally derived compounds modulate three central molecular processes that drive gastric tumor progression and therapeutic failure: evasion of programmed cell death, persistent tumor-promoting inflammation, and chemoresistance. Compounds such as curcumin, resveratrol, berberine, ginsenosides, quercetin, and epigallocatechin gallate restore apoptotic competence by shifting the balance between pro-survival and pro-death proteins, destabilizing mitochondrial membranes, promoting cytochrome c release, and activating caspase-dependent pathways. These agents also exert potent anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting nuclear factor kappa B and signal transducer and activator of transcription signaling, suppressing pro-inflammatory cytokine production, reducing cyclooxygenase activity, and modulating the tumor microenvironment through changes in immune cell behavior. In parallel, multiple natural compounds function as chemo-sensitizers by inhibiting drug efflux transporters, reversing epithelial–mesenchymal transition, attenuating cancer stem cell-associated traits, and suppressing pro-survival signaling pathways that sustain resistance. Collectively, these mechanistic actions highlight the capacity of natural products to simultaneously target interconnected hallmarks of gastric cancer biology. Ongoing advances in formulation strategies may help overcome pharmacokinetic limitations; however, rigorous biomarker-guided studies and well-designed clinical trials remain essential to define the translational relevance of these compounds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Products in Cancer Prevention and Treatment—Second Edition)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

27 pages, 5086 KB  
Article
Isolation and Characterization of 5-(1-Hydroxyethyl)-Dihydro-2-Furanone from Angiopteris evecta with Potent Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Leukemic Activities
by Lapamas Rueankham, Natsima Viriyaadhammaa, Wenxian Yin, Yuanzhi Liu, Sawitree Chiampanichayakul, Methee Rungrojsakul, Trinnakorn Katekunlaphan, Siriporn Okonogi, Aroonchai Saiai, Arihiro Iwasaki, Christian Nanga Chick, Toyonobu Usuki and Songyot Anuchapreeda
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(3), 1399; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27031399 - 30 Jan 2026
Viewed by 452
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous hematological malignancy with poor prognosis, frequent relapse, and treatment-related toxicity. The discovery of novel anti-leukemic agents with improved selectivity remains an urgent clinical need. In this study, rhizomes of Angiopteris evecta, a medicinal plant used [...] Read more.
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous hematological malignancy with poor prognosis, frequent relapse, and treatment-related toxicity. The discovery of novel anti-leukemic agents with improved selectivity remains an urgent clinical need. In this study, rhizomes of Angiopteris evecta, a medicinal plant used in Thai traditional medicine, were collected from twelve locations in Thailand and extracted using solvents of increasing polarity. Among thirty-six crude fractional extracts, the ethyl acetate crude fractional extract from source No. 003 (AE EtOAc No. 003) exhibited the strongest cytotoxic activity against KG-1a and EoL-1 leukemic cell lines, with low toxicity toward normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Bioactivity-guided fractionation yielded the ternary mixture, a furanone-rich mixture dominated by 5-(1-hydroxyethyl)-dihydro-2-furanone. The ternary mixture inhibited leukemic cell proliferation by inducing apoptosis, causing cell cycle arrest, and downregulating WT1 expression in EoL-1 cells. Network pharmacology and molecular docking analyses implicated AKT1, MAPK signaling, apoptosis-related pathways, and WT1 as key molecular targets. In addition, AE EtOAc No. 003 and the ternary mixture suppressed TNF-α and IL-6 production in LPS-stimulated macrophages. Collectively, A. evecta-derived furanone compounds represent promising lead candidates for anti-leukemic drug development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Products in Cancer Prevention and Treatment—Second Edition)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 15353 KB  
Article
The Combination of Thymoquinone and Chloroquine Dose-Dependently Regulates Autophagy and Potentiates Metastatic Melanoma Cell Death via Autophagy-Dependent and -Independent Mechanisms
by Patrycja Kłos, Krzysztof Safranow, Magdalena Perużyńska, Radosław Birger, Agata Stępniewska, Violetta Dziedziejko, Marek Droździk and Dariusz Chlubek
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(4), 1751; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27041751 - 11 Feb 2026
Viewed by 669
Abstract
Although combination therapies with mitogen activated protein kinase inhibitors remain among the most effective treatments for malignant melanoma, they are not universally applicable to all subtypes of this cancer, and their efficacy decreases in the presence of distant metastases. Drug resistance, often associated [...] Read more.
Although combination therapies with mitogen activated protein kinase inhibitors remain among the most effective treatments for malignant melanoma, they are not universally applicable to all subtypes of this cancer, and their efficacy decreases in the presence of distant metastases. Drug resistance, often associated with elevated autophagy in tumor cells, and adverse effects of the treatment also reduce the survival time of melanoma patients. Therefore, the aim of our research was to assess the cytotoxicity of the combination of a late-stage autophagy blocker chloroquine with thymoquinone, a natural substance with anticancer potential and low toxicity towards healthy cells, in metastatic melanoma cell lines. Using the WST-1 assay, we examined the cytotoxicity of the combination of chloroquine and thymoquinone in melanoma WM9 and WM852 cell lines and assessed the type of their interactions. Additionally, using time-lapse bright field and fluorescent microscopy, we assessed changes in cell morphology during 48 h incubation with the tested compounds and their combinations, as well as their effect on autophagy. We identified an additive and sub-additive cytotoxic effect of thymoquinone/chloroquine combinations against WM9 and WM852 cells. Moreover, we found that thymoquinone combined with chloroquine caused an increase in autophagosome accumulation in WM9 cells, while attenuating the chloroquine’s anti-autophagic effect. A thorough understanding of the mechanism of drug interactions with natural substances is crucial for the development of new effective anticancer therapies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Products in Cancer Prevention and Treatment—Second Edition)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop