The Promising Role of Plant-Derived Lectins in Oral Cancer Therapeutics: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Molecular Biology
• Oncology

Background:

• Oral cancer (OC) remains a major global health concern with high mortality rates.
• Natural products, particularly plant-derived compounds, are a promising source for novel anticancer drug discovery.
• Plant lectins, proteins with specific carbohydrate-binding abilities, exhibit potent biological activities relevant to cancer therapy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the potential applications of plant lectins in oral cancer treatment.
• To elucidate the mechanisms by which plant lectins exert anticancer effects.
• To identify specific plant lectins with high therapeutic potential against oral cancer.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of existing literature on plant lectins and oral cancer.
• Analysis of studies investigating plant lectin effects on cancer cell lines and in vivo models.
• Examination of signaling pathways modulated by plant lectins in cancer cells.

Main Results:

• Plant lectins demonstrate anticancer properties by inducing apoptosis and/or autophagy in oral cancer cells.
• Key signaling pathways modulated include the caspase family, ROS-p38-p53, PI3K/Akt, and Wnt/β-catenin.
• Several lectins, including *Polygonatum cyrtonema* lectin, *Maackia amurensis* seed lectin, abrus agglutinin, wheat germ agglutinin, mistletoe lectin, and concanavalin A, show significant potential.

Conclusions:

• Plant lectins represent a promising class of natural compounds for oral cancer therapy.
• Understanding their mechanisms of action can guide the development of novel anticancer strategies.
• Further research into plant lectins could lead to new diagnostic and therapeutic applications for oral cancer.