title: Cancer prevention by natural compounds.
abstract: Increasing attention is being paid to the possibility of applying cancer chemopreventive agents for individuals at high risk of neoplastic development. For this purpose by natural compounds have practical advantages with regard to availability, suitability for oral application, regulatory approval and mechanisms of action. Candidate substances such as phytochemicals present in foods and their derivatives have been identified by a combination of epidemiological and experimental studies. Plant constituents include vitamin derivatives, phenolic and flavonoid agents, organic sulfur compounds, isothiocyanates, curcumins, fatty acids and d-limonene. Examples of compounds from animals are unsaturated fatty acids and lactoferrin. Recent studies have indicated that mechanisms underlying chemopreventive potential may be combinations of anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, immune-enhancing, and anti-hormone effects, with modification of drug-metabolizing enzymes, influence on the cell cycle and cell differentiation, induction of apoptosis and suppression of proliferation and angiogenesis playing roles in the initiation and secondary modification stages of neoplastic development. Accordingly, natural agents are advantageous for application to humans because of their combined mild mechanism. Here we review naturally occurring compounds useful for cancer chemprevention based on in vivo studies with reference to their structures, sources and mechanisms of action.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Toxicology, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Japan. htsuda@med.nagoya-cu.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tsuda
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ohshima
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nomoto
authors.forename: Ken-ichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: Eiji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Matsuda
authors.forename: Masaaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iigo
authors.forename: Nobuo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takasuka
authors.forename: Malcolm A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Moore
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001685:Biological Factors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D001685:Biological Factors