An Insight into Emerging Phytocompounds for Glioblastoma Multiforme Therapy

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Pharmacology
• Natural Products

Background:

• Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) exhibits significant therapeutic resistance, attributed to factors like clonal selection, pathway involvement, and defective DNA repair mechanisms (mismatch repair proteins and O6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase).
• Conventional therapies often face limitations due to inherent or acquired resistance, necessitating the exploration of alternative treatment strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the potential of phytochemical-based therapeutic options for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) treatment.
• To highlight the role of phytocompounds in overcoming therapy resistance and their immunomodulatory effects.

Main Methods:

• This review synthesizes existing research on phytocompounds and their mechanisms of action against GBM.
• Literature search focused on plant-derived compounds, their classification (alkaloids, phenols, terpenes, organosulfur compounds), and their impact on GBM pathways and immune responses.

Main Results:

• Phytocompounds demonstrate the ability to target diverse molecular pathways crucial for GBM progression and survival.
• Certain phytocompounds exhibit immunomodulatory properties and are being investigated for their potential in immune checkpoint inhibition.
• Plant-based compounds offer a viable strategy to circumvent resistance mechanisms observed in GBM therapy.

Conclusions:

• Phytochemicals represent a promising avenue for developing novel and effective GBM treatments.
• Further research into the precise mechanisms of action of phytocompounds is essential for their clinical translation.
• Phytotherapy holds potential as an alternative or complementary approach to enhance GBM treatment efficacy.