title: Inhibition of cancer antioxidant defense by natural compounds.
abstract: All classic, non-surgical anticancer approaches like chemotherapy, radiotherapy or photodynamic therapy kill cancer cells by inducing severe oxidative stress. Even tough chemo- and radiotherapy are still a gold standard in cancer treatment, the identification of non-toxic compounds that enhance their selectivity, would allow for lowering their doses, reduce side effects and risk of second cancers. Many natural products have the ability to sensitize cancer cells to oxidative stress induced by chemo- and radiotherapy by limiting antioxidant capacity of cancer cells. Blocking antioxidant defense in tumors decreases their ability to balance oxidative insult and results in cell death. Though one should bear in mind that the same natural compound often exerts both anti-oxidant and pro-oxidant properties, depending on concentration used, cell type, exposure time and environmental conditions. Here we present a comprehensive overview of natural products that inhibit major antioxidant defense mechanisms in cancer cells and discuss their potential in clinical application.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland.
authors.forename: Alicja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sznarkowska
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kostecka
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland.
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Meller
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland.
authors.forename: Krzysztof Piotr
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Bielawski
mesh_terms: D000975:Antioxidants; D001688:Biological Products / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D001688:Biological Products; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species
keywords: ROS; antioxidants; cancer; natural compounds; polyphenols