Bacteria as anticancer agents: bioactive metabolites, engineered platforms, and translational mechanisms

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Pharmacology
• Oncology

Background:

• Bacteria produce a wide array of bioactive compounds with anticancer properties.
• Established drugs like actinomycin D demonstrate the clinical significance of bacterial natural products.
• Diverse bacterial taxa, including actinomycetes and marine species, are key sources.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review bacterial sources of anticancer agents.
• To summarize the mechanisms of action of bacterial anticancer metabolites.
• To discuss the potential and challenges of bacterial-derived compounds in oncology.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of bacterial anticancer agents.
• Analysis of metabolite structures and bioactivities.
• Exploration of advancements in genomics and synthetic biology for drug discovery.

Main Results:

• Bacterial metabolites exhibit cytotoxic, cytostatic, pro-apoptotic, and anti-angiogenic effects.
• Multiple mechanisms of action are identified, including DNA intercalation and apoptosis induction.
• Genomic and synthetic biology approaches enhance the discovery of novel compounds and engineered bacterial platforms.

Conclusions:

• Bacterial natural products and engineered bacteria represent a promising frontier in cancer therapy.
• Further research is needed to overcome challenges in toxicity, yield, and clinical translation.
• Bacterial-derived agents offer diverse strategies for cancer treatment, including metabolite-based and engineered platform approaches.