Anticancer activities, structure-activity relationship, and mechanism of action of 12-, 14-, and 16-membered macrolactones

Heterodimeric diketopiperazine alkaloids from Penicillium expansum MA147 and their cytotoxicity

Four previously undescribed heterodimeric diketopiperazine alkaloids, expansines A-D, were identified from the solid rice medium fermented by Penicillium expansum MA147, along with one new resorcylic acid derivative and five known compounds. Their structures and relative/absolute configurations were elucidated by interpretation of their spectroscopic data, quantum chemical calculations, and chemical conversion. Some obtained compounds were evaluated for the cytotoxicity against a triple-negative breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231, and expansine C showed an IC50 value of 3.23 μM. In further mechanistic studies, we found that it might act by increasing the expression of ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 and reducing cellular cholesterol levels, suggesting its potential as a novel anti-cancer agent.

Isoalantolactone: a review on its pharmacological effects

Isoalantolactone (ISA) is a sesquiterpene lactone that could be isolated from Inula helenium as well as many other herbal plants belonging to Asteraceae. Over the past 2 decades, lots of researches have been made on ISA, which owns multiple pharmacological effects, such as antimicrobial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, antidepressant-like activity, as well as others. The anticancer effects of ISA involve proliferation inhibition, ROS overproduction, apoptosis induction and cell cycle arrest. Through inhibiting NF-κB signaling, ISA exerts its anti-inflammatory effects which are involved in the neuroprotection of ISA. This review hackled the reported pharmacological effects of ISA and associated mechanisms, providing an update on understanding its potential in drug development.

Eribulin in breast cancer: Current insights and therapeutic perspectives

Eribulin is a non-taxane synthetic analogue approved in many countries as third-line treatment for the treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer. In addition to its mitotic property, eribulin has non-mitotic properties including but not limited to, its ability to induce phenotypic reversal of epithelial to mesenchymal transition, vascular remodelling, reduction in immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment. Since approval, there has been a surge in studies investigating the application of eribulin as an earlier-line treatment and also in combination with other agents such as immunotherapy and targeted therapy across all breast cancer sub-types, including hormone receptor positive, HER2 positive and triple negative breast cancer, many demonstrating promising activity. This review will focus on the application of eribulin in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer across all subtypes including its role as an earlier-line agent, its toxicity profile, and potential future directions.