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Life
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Natural Compounds in Cancer Therapy–Volume II
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Natural Compounds in Cancer Therapy–Volume II

A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Pharmaceutical Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (7 April 2023) | Viewed by 7200

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Stefano Manfredini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
Interests: synthesis; isolation; natural compounds; UV protection; cosmetics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cancer remains the second leading cause of death, and most of the drugs (60%) currently in use for primary prevention of cancer (chemoprevention) are accomplished or inspired by phytochemicals.

Therefore, research on natural products is still a valuable approach to compounds with unique structures and mechanisms of action. Some of them, previously not used because of lack of selectivity, have been brought back from oblivion via conjugation with monoclonal antibodies.

Phytochemicals are involved in the prevention and reversal of the carcinogenic process through multiple signal transduction pathways: inhibiting ROS production, NF-κB activation, angiogenesis, AP-1 and COX-2, regulating Stat3 and MAPKs pathways, and inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis.

Some examples of such phytochemicals are curcumin, epigallocatechin gallate, lycopene, indole-3-carbinol, compounds from cruciferous vegetables and garlic, gingerol, folate, and resveratrol.

Additional chemopreventive agents include retinol, vitamin D analogues, apigenin, quercetin, ursolic acid and genistein, daidzein, and glycitein.

Therefore, there are plenty of opportunities for research in this field.

Prof. Dr. Stefano Manfredini
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Life is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • chemoprevention
  • natural products drug sources
  • phytochemicals
  • antioxidants
  • pathway
  • anticancer
  • natural compounds
  • signaling
  • cancer therapy
  • drug discovery

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 1679 KiB  
Article
In Vitro Anticancer and Antibacterial Activities of the Essential Oil of Forsskal’s Basil Growing in Extreme Environmental Conditions
by Ammar Bader, Ashraf N. Abdalla, Najla A. Obaid, Lamees Youssef, Hind M. Naffadi, Mohamed E. Elzubier, Riyad A. Almaimani, Guido Flamini, Ylenia Pieracci and Mahmoud Zaki El-Readi
Life 2023, 13(3), 651; https://doi.org/10.3390/life13030651 - 26 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2240
Abstract
Many species belonging to the genus Ocimum are used for aromatic, medicinal, and cosmetic purposes. The essential oil (OFEO) obtained by hydrodistillation of the flowering aerial parts of Forsskal’s Basil “Ocimum forskolei Benth” growing in extreme environmental conditions in Mecca Region, Saudi [...] Read more.
Many species belonging to the genus Ocimum are used for aromatic, medicinal, and cosmetic purposes. The essential oil (OFEO) obtained by hydrodistillation of the flowering aerial parts of Forsskal’s Basil “Ocimum forskolei Benth” growing in extreme environmental conditions in Mecca Region, Saudi Arabia was analyzed by GC-MS. The main constituents were phenylpropanoids (methyl eugenol 55.65% and eugenol 11.66%), monoterpene (linalool 9.75%), and sesquiterpenes (germacrene D 3.72% and β-caryophyllene 2.57%). The OFEO was tested against MCF7, HT29, and HCT116 cancer cells and compared with normal fibroblast cells (MRC5). The MTT assay showed that HCT116 was more sensitive to OFEO (IC50 5.34 μg/mL), which reduced the number of HCT116 colonies at 6 μg/mL, while causing complete colony death at 12 and 24 μg/mL. Western Blotting and qRT-PCR were used to evaluate the level change of different proteins with respect to GAPDH. OFEO upregulated the apoptotic protein (caspase 3), and downregulated the cell proliferation proteins (AKT and pAKT), cell cycle arrest (PCNA, Cyclin D1), and the anti-apoptotic Bcl2 proteins. OFEO was also tested against reference strains of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria including Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus by using the well-diffusion and assessing their MICs, which ranged from 250 to 500 μg/mL. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Compounds in Cancer Therapy–Volume II)
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Review

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15 pages, 348 KiB  
Review
Exploring the Bioactive Mycocompounds (Fungal Compounds) of Selected Medicinal Mushrooms and Their Potentials against HPV Infection and Associated Cancer in Humans
by Tomas Rokos, Terezia Pribulova, Erik Kozubik, Kamil Biringer, Veronika Holubekova and Erik Kudela
Life 2023, 13(1), 244; https://doi.org/10.3390/life13010244 - 16 Jan 2023
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Abstract
Medicinal mushrooms have been used as a medicinal tool for many centuries and, nowadays, are used in the prevention and therapy of various diseases, including as an adjunct to cancer treatment. It is estimated that 14–16% of global cancer cases are caused by [...] Read more.
Medicinal mushrooms have been used as a medicinal tool for many centuries and, nowadays, are used in the prevention and therapy of various diseases, including as an adjunct to cancer treatment. It is estimated that 14–16% of global cancer cases are caused by infectious events; one well-known infectious agent that leads to cancer is the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is responsible for more than 99.7% of cervical cancer cases and also may play a role in vaginal, vulvar, penile, anal, rectal, and oropharyngeal carcinogenesis. Coriolus versicolor, a basidiomycetes class mushroom, consists of glycoproteins called polysaccharide-K (PSK) and polysaccharopeptide (PSP), which are mainly responsible for its effectiveness in the fight against a variety of cancers. Its beneficial effect lies in its ability to arrest different phases of the cell cycle, immunomodulation or induction of apoptosis. Coriolus versicolor extractcan reduces BCL-2 expression or increases the expression of p53 tumour suppressor genes in breast tumour cell lines. Inhibition of proliferation was also demonstrated with HeLa cells, while cervical cytology abnormalities improved in patients who locally applied Coriolus versicolor-based vaginal gel. Coriolus versicolor extract itself, and also its combination with another medicinal mushroom, Ganoderma lucidum, leads to improved HPV clearance in HPV cervical or oral-positive patients. Medicinal mushrooms can also increase the effectiveness of vaccination. This review considers the use of medicinal mushrooms as a suitable adjunct to the treatment of many cancers or precanceroses, including those caused by the HPV virus. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Compounds in Cancer Therapy–Volume II)
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