Autophagy-associated targeting pathways of natural products during cancer treatment

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Pharmacology
• Natural Products Chemistry

Background:

• Conventional cancer therapies (chemotherapy, radiation) exhibit significant toxicity to normal and tumor cells, limiting their clinical application.
• There is a critical need for novel cancer therapies with reduced toxicity and improved efficacy.
• Natural products are emerging as promising candidates due to their favorable safety and efficacy profiles in preclinical and clinical studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize the autophagy-associated targeting pathways of natural products for inducing cancer cell death.
• To discuss the core autophagic pathways involved in natural product-mediated cancer treatments.
• To provide references for the discovery, evaluation, and clinical application of natural compounds as anticancer agents.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of preclinical and clinical studies on natural compounds with anticancer activity.
• Analysis of autophagy-associated molecular mechanisms targeted by natural products.
• Synthesis of information on representative natural compounds including resveratrol, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, curcumin, allicin, and ginsenosides.

Main Results:

• Several natural compounds, including resveratrol, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, curcumin, allicin, and ginsenosides, demonstrate significant anticancer potential.
• These natural products effectively induce cancer cell death by modulating autophagy-associated pathways.
• The identified pathways provide a mechanistic basis for their therapeutic effects.

Conclusions:

• Natural products offer a promising avenue for developing novel, low-toxicity cancer therapeutics.
• Targeting autophagy pathways with natural compounds is an effective strategy for cancer treatment.
• Further research and clinical application of these natural drugs are warranted for primary and metastatic tumors.