Epithelial-mesenchymal transition as a target for botanicals in cancer metastasis

Bahare Salehi; Elena Maria Varoni; Mehdi Sharifi-Rad; Sadegh Rajabi; Paolo Zucca; Marcello Iriti; Javad Sharifi-Rad

doi:10.1016/j.phymed.2018.07.001

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition as a target for botanicals in cancer metastasis

Phytomedicine. 2019 Mar 1:55:125-136. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2018.07.001. Epub 2018 Nov 6.

Authors

Bahare Salehi¹, Elena Maria Varoni², Mehdi Sharifi-Rad³, Sadegh Rajabi⁴, Paolo Zucca⁵, Marcello Iriti⁶, Javad Sharifi-Rad⁷

Affiliations

¹ Medical Ethics and Law Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Student Research Committee, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
² Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, Milan State University, Milan, Italy.
³ Department of Medical Parasitology, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol 61663-335, Iran. Electronic address: mehdi_sharifirad@yahoo.com.
⁴ Student Research Committee, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Clinical Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁵ Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Italy. Electronic address: paolo.zucca@gmail.com.
⁶ Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Milan State University, Milan, Italy. Electronic address: marcello.iriti@unimi.it.
⁷ Phytochemistry Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Chemistry, Richardson College for the Environmental Science Complex, The University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB, Canada. Electronic address: javad.sharifirad@gmail.com.

PMID: 30668422
DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2018.07.001

Abstract

Background: The plant kingdom represents an unlimited source of phytotherapeutics with promising perspectives in the field of anticancer drug discovery.

Purpose: In this view, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) represents a novel and major target in anticancer therapy. Therefore, this narrative review aims to provide an updated overview on the bioactive phytochemicals with anti-EMT activity.

Conclusion: Among the plant products reviewed, phenylpropanoids were the most investigated at preclinical phase, thus exhibiting a promising potential as anticancer drugs, though an evidence-based clinical efficacy is still lacking.

Keywords: Alkaloids; Anticancer phytotherapeutics; Bioactive phytochemicals; Chemoprevention; Isoprenoids; Phenylpropanoids.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Alkaloids / chemistry
Alkaloids / pharmacology
Animals
Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / chemistry*
Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / pharmacology*
Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition / drug effects*
Humans
Neoplasms / drug therapy
Neoplasms / pathology*
Phytochemicals / chemistry
Phytochemicals / pharmacology*
Plants / chemistry
Terpenes / chemistry
Terpenes / pharmacology

Substances

Alkaloids
Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic
Phytochemicals
Terpenes