title: Potential of plant-derived natural products in the treatment of leukemia and lymphoma.
abstract: Hematologic malignancies account for a substantial percentage of cancers worldwide, and the heterogeneity and biological characteristics of leukemias and lymphomas present unique therapeutic challenges. Although treatment options exist for most of these diseases, many types remain incurable and the emergence of drug resistance is pervasive. Thus, novel treatment approaches are essential to improve outcome. Nearly half of the agents used in cancer therapy today are either natural products or derivatives of natural products. The enormous chemical diversity in nature, coupled with millennia of biological selection, has generated a vast and underexplored reservoir of unique chemical structures with biologic activity. This review will describe the investigation and application of natural products derived from higher plants in the treatment of leukemia and lymphoma and the rationale behind these efforts. In addition to the approved vinca alkaloids and the epipodophyllotoxin derivatives, a number of other plant compounds have shown promise in clinical trials and in preclinical investigations. In particular, we will focus on the discovery and biological evaluation of the plant-derived agent silvestrol, which shows potential for additional development as a new therapeutic agent for B-cell malignancies including chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
authors.affiliation: Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, 410 W. 12th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA. david.lucas@osumc.edu
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Lucas
authors.forename: Patrick C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Still
authors.forename: Lynette Bueno
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Pérez
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Grever
authors.forename: A Douglas
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Kinghorn
mesh_terms: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001688:Biological Products / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008954:Models, Biological; D015394:Molecular Structure; D014315:Triterpenes / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001572:Benzofurans
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D001688:Biological Products; D014315:Triterpenes; C489897:silvestrol; D001572:Benzofurans