Phytochemicals Target Multiple Metabolic Pathways in Cancer

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Metabolic pathways in cancer
• Natural product chemistry

Background:

• Cancer cells reprogram metabolism for growth and survival, contributing to proliferation, invasion, and immune evasion.
• Metabolic rewiring is a hallmark of cancer, involving complex, overlapping pathways that often lead to therapeutic resistance when targeted individually.
• Multitargeting agents are crucial for enhancing antitumor drug efficacy by suppressing several key cancer cell processes simultaneously.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review plant-derived natural compounds that exhibit multitargeting activity against various cancer-associated metabolic pathways.
• To explore compounds inhibiting aerobic glycolysis, respiration, glutaminolysis, one-carbon metabolism, de novo lipogenesis, and fatty acid β-oxidation.
• To present information on the pharmacokinetics of these compounds in preclinical and clinical settings.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of plant-derived compounds with inhibitory activity against multiple cancer metabolic pathways.
• Analysis of compounds targeting key signaling pathways in cancer.
• Inclusion of pharmacokinetic data from animal and human studies.

Main Results:

• Several plant-derived compounds were identified that simultaneously inhibit diverse cancer metabolic pathways.
• These compounds also affect important cancer signaling pathways, suggesting broad-spectrum activity.
• Pharmacokinetic profiles in animals and humans were evaluated for selected compounds.

Conclusions:

• Plant-derived natural compounds targeting multiple metabolic and signaling pathways hold significant potential for improving cancer therapy.
• These multitargeting agents may offer a strategy to overcome therapeutic resistance in various malignancies.
• Further research into these compounds could lead to novel antineoplastic drug development.