Natural isoflavonoids in invasive cancer therapy: From bench to bedside

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Natural Products Chemistry
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Cancer metastasis is a major cause of mortality.
• Targeting invasion and metastasis is crucial for effective cancer therapy.
• Natural products, like isoflavonoids, are a significant source of chemotherapeutic agents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the effects of isoflavonoids on molecular targets and pathways involved in cancer invasion and metastasis.
• To identify key isoflavonoids and their anticancer activities in preclinical and clinical settings.
• To explore the potential of isoflavonoids as chemotherapeutics for invasive cancers.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of recent studies on isoflavonoids and cancer invasion/metastasis.
• Analysis of data from cancer cell cultures, in vivo assays, and clinical trials.
• Identification of molecular targets, including matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-associated proteins.

Main Results:

• Isoflavonoids target key molecular pathways regulating cancer cell invasion and metastasis.
• Glycitein, daidzein, and genistein are the most studied isoflavonoids with significant anticancer effects.
• These isoflavonoids demonstrated activity against invasion-related proteins like MMP-2 and MMP-9, and EMT-associated proteins.

Conclusions:

• Isoflavonoids represent a promising class of natural compounds for developing novel chemotherapeutics against invasive cancers.
• Specific isoflavonoids like glycitein, daidzein, and genistein show potential in targeting cancer metastasis.
• Further clinical trials are necessary to confirm the efficacy of isoflavonoids in treating invasive cancers.