title: Cancer prevention with promising natural products: mechanisms of action and molecular targets.
abstract: Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide. There is greater need for more effective and less toxic therapeutic and preventive strategies. Natural products are becoming an important research area for novel and bioactive molecules for drug discovery. Phytochemicals and dietary compounds have been used for the treatment of cancer throughout history due to their safety, low toxicity, and general availability. Many active phytochemicals are in human clinical trials. Studies have indicated that daily consumption of dietary phytochemicals have cancer protective effects against carcinogens. They can inhibit, delay, or reverse carcinogenesis by inducing detoxifying and antioxidant enzymes systems, regulating inflammatory and proliferative signaling pathways, and inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Epidemiological studies have also revealed that high dietary intakes of fruits and vegetables reduce the risk of cancer. This review discusses potential natural cancer preventive compounds, their molecular targets, and their mechanisms of actions.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Center for Toxicology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA.
authors.forename: Poyil
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pratheeshkumar
authors.forename: Chakkenchath
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sreekala
authors.forename: Zhuo
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Amit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Budhraja
authors.forename: Songze
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Young-Ok
authors.initials: YO
authors.lastname: Son
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hitron
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hyun-Jung
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jeong-Chae
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Xianglin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Shi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D001688:Biological Products / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018890:Chemoprevention; D055808:Drug Discovery; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents; D001688:Biological Products