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Author Spotlight: Innovative Cancer Therapies with Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Glioblastoma Treatment
Published on: September 27, 2024
Current Progress of Phytomedicine in Glioblastoma Therapy
Fahad Hassan Shah1, Saad Salman2, Jawaria Idrees3
1Centre of Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Peshawar, Peshawar, 25120, Pakistan. fahad.researcher@outlook.com.
Abstract:
Glioblastoma multiforme, an intrusive brain cancer, has the lowest survival rate of all brain cancers. The chemotherapy utilized to prevent their proliferation and propagation is limited due to modulation of complex cancer signalling pathways. These complex pathways provide infiltrative and drug evading properties leading to the development of chemotherapy resistance. Therefore, the development and discovery of such interventions or therapies that can bypass all these resistive barriers to ameliorate glioma prognosis and survival is of profound importance. Medicinal plants are comprised of an exorbitant range of phytochemicals that have the broad-spectrum capability to target intrusive brain cancers, modulate anti-cancer pathways and immunological responses to facilitate their eradication, and induce apoptosis. These phytocompounds also interfere with several oncogenic proteins that promote cancer invasiveness and metastasis, chemotherapy resistance and angiogenesis. These plants are extremely vital for promising anti-glioma therapy to avert glioma proliferation and recurrence. In this review, we acquired recent literature on medicinal plants whose extracts/bioactive ingredients are newly exploited in glioma therapeutics, and also highlighted their mode of action and pharmacological profile.
Insights
Medicinal plants offer promising glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) therapies by targeting complex cancer pathways. Their phytochemicals can overcome chemotherapy resistance, improving glioma prognosis and survival.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Pharmacology
- Natural Products
Background:
- Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is an aggressive brain cancer with a poor survival rate.
- Current chemotherapy faces limitations due to complex cancer signaling pathways, leading to drug resistance, invasiveness, and metastasis.
- Novel therapeutic strategies are crucial to overcome these challenges and improve patient outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent literature on medicinal plants and their bioactive compounds used in glioblastoma therapeutics.
- To highlight the mode of action and pharmacological profiles of these natural compounds against glioma.
- To explore the potential of phytocompounds in overcoming therapeutic resistance and improving glioma prognosis.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of recent studies on medicinal plants and their application in glioma treatment.
- Analysis of phytochemicals' mechanisms of action against cancer signaling pathways.
- Evaluation of the pharmacological profiles of plant-derived compounds in preclinical and clinical settings.
Main Results:
- Medicinal plants contain diverse phytochemicals with broad-spectrum anti-cancer capabilities.
- These phytocompounds can modulate anti-cancer pathways, enhance immune responses, and induce apoptosis in glioma cells.
- Phytochemicals interfere with oncogenic proteins, inhibiting cancer invasiveness, metastasis, angiogenesis, and chemotherapy resistance.
Conclusions:
- Medicinal plants represent a vital source for developing novel anti-glioma therapies.
- Phytocompounds offer a promising approach to circumventing therapeutic resistance and preventing glioma recurrence.
- Further research into plant-derived compounds could lead to improved glioblastoma treatment strategies and patient survival.

