The anti-cancer activities of jasmonates

Jasmonates, plant stress hormones protecting the plant from microbial pathogens and environmental stresses, were also discovered to have toxic activities toward mammalian cancer cells. Methyl jasmonate (MJ) was found to be the most active anti-cancer derivate among natural jasmonates, exhibiting a specific cell death-induction effect toward several cancer cells. Since that discovery of jasmonates-inducing cancer cell death, the molecular mechanism of action of jasmonates leading to cell death was deciphered. Moreover, in addition to the direct effects of MJ on cancer cell death, it was found to deregulate several genes and affect various intracellular factors and cellular processes, such as sensitization of apoptotic cell death induced by TRAIL, cancer cell migration attenuation, cell cycle arrest, and differentiation. This mini-review summarizes over a decade of research of jasmonates as anti-cancer agents.