Title:Fighting Carcinogenesis with Plant Metabolites by Weakening Proliferative
Signaling and Disabling Replicative Immortality Networks of Rapidly
Dividing and Invading Cancerous Cells
Volume: 20
Issue: 4
Author(s): Atif Khurshid Wani, Nahid Akhtar, Arun Sharma and Sally A. El-Zahaby*
Affiliation:
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Pharos University
in Alexandria, Alexandria, Egypt
Keywords:
Cancer, proliferative signaling, replicative immortality, plant metabolites, cancer therapy, growth.
Abstract:
Background: Cancer, an uncontrolled multistage disease causing swift division of cells, is a
leading disease with the highest mortality rate. Cellular heterogeneity, evading growth suppressors,
resisting cell death, and replicative immortality drive the tumor progression by resisting the therapeutic
action of existing anticancer drugs through a series of intrinsic and extrinsic cellular interactions. The
innate cellular mechanisms also regulate the replication process as a fence against proliferative signaling,
enabling replicative immortality through telomere dysfunction.
Area Covered: The conventional genotoxic drugs have several off-target and collateral side effects
associated with them. Thus, the need for the therapies targeting cyclin-dependent kinases or P13K signaling
pathway to expose cancer cells to immune destruction, deactivation of invasion and metastasis,
and maintaining cellular energetics is imperative. Compounds with anticancer attributes isolated from
plants and rich in alkaloids, terpenes, and polyphenols have proven to be less toxic and highly targetspecific,
making them biologically significant. This has opened a gateway for the exploration of more
novel plant molecules by signifying their role as anticancer agents in synergy and alone, making them
more effective than the existing cytotoxic regimens.
Expert Opinion: In this context, the current review presented recent data on cancer cases around the
globe, along with discussing the fundamentals of proliferative signaling and replicative immortality of
cancer cells. Recent findings were also highlighted, including antiproliferative and antireplicative action
of plant-derived compounds, besides explaining the need for improving drug delivery systems.