The investigation of the healing effect of active ingredients in traditional medicinal plants on lung cancer

Biological Functions and Synthesis of the Active Components in Antrodia camphorata

As a fungus endemic to Taiwan, Antrodia camphorata contains a variety of medicinally active substances, such as polysaccharides, triterpenoids, maleic acid and succinic acid derivatives, and ubiquinone derivatives. A. camphorata has attracted widespread attention due to its uniqueness, rarity, remarkable efficacy, and high economic value. In this work, we analyze the recent progress and future development of the artificial culture of mycelium of A. camphorata. This Review focuses on the types, properties, functions, and mechanisms of action of the characteristic active substances of A. camphorata and summarizes the methods of metabolic regulation and biosynthesis of the characteristic active substances. This Review provides valuable information for research on the metabolic regulation and efficacy analysis of the active substances and provides a theoretical basis for the in-depth development of the active ingredients in A. camphorata.

Potential of cucurbitacin as an anticancer drug

In Chinese medicine, the Cucurbitaceae family contains many compounds known as cucurbitacins, which have been categorized into 12 classes ranging from A to T and more than 200 derivatives. Cucurbitacins are a class of highly oxidized tetracyclic triterpenoids with potent anticancer properties. The eight components of cucurbitacins with the strongest anticancer activity are cucurbitacins B, D, E, I, IIa, L-glucoside, Q, and R. Cucurbitacins have also been reported to suppress JAK-STAT 3, mTOR, VEGFR, Wnt/β-catenin, and MAPK signaling pathways, all of which are crucial for the survival and demise of cancer cells. In this paper, we review the progress in research on cucurbitacin-induced apoptosis, autophagy, cytoskeleton disruption, cell cycle arrest, inhibition of cell proliferation, inhibition of invasion and migration, inhibition of angiogenesis, epigenetic alterations, and synergistic anticancer effects in tumor cells. Recent studies have identified cucurbitacins as promising molecules for therapeutic innovation with broad versatility in immune response. Thus, cucurbitacin is a promising class of anticancer agents that can be used alone or in combination with chemotherapy and radiotherapy for the treatment of many types of cancer.Therefore, based on the research reports in the past five years at home and abroad, we further summarize and review the structural characteristics, chemical and biological activities, and studies of cucurbitacins based on the previous studies to provide a reference for further development and utilization of cucurbitacins.

The curative effect of some natural active compounds for liver cancer

Cancer is a disease that has become widespread recently and has been studied extensively. It is of great importance to find an active and effective treatment quickly due to the emergence of the disease and its spread to many tissues in the organism by metastasis. In this study, it is aimed to detect active and active substances that are highly effective on cancer cells in a short time by using docking scores, the accuracy of which has been proven by many studies. Today, many medicinal plants are being studied for therapeutic purposes. In this study, the activities of the prominent active substances in these medicinal plants were compared with the docking scores and the molecules with the highest inhibition effect on liver cancer receptors were determined. The data obtained in this study are of great importance in terms of guiding experimental studies by detecting active substances effective on liver cancer by preventing time and material loss. Considering the results obtained from this study, it can be concluded that Cucurbitacin I and Cucurbitacin E, Thymol, Piperine, and Carvacrol are very effective for the inhibition of liver cancer cell receptors.

Therapeutic effect of some natural active compounds for breast cancer

The extracts obtained from plants have been used in the treatment of many diseases since the earliest times. Today, it is of great importance to investigate the effects of the active molecules in these plant extracts at the molecular level together with the analysis. The effect of certain active compounds found in some plants, widely used as medicinal plants, on breast cancer has been investigated using docking. As a result of the docking scores obtained, it can be understood that the active molecules used in this study can be quite effective in controlling breast cancer. Promyelocytic leukemia is an important checkpoint from the literature for breast cancer and the docking energy values of Thymoquinone, Piperine and Carvacrol, as the active molecules in the control of this pathway. This study is very important when evaluated in terms of directing experimental studies by determining the most suitable active substances by comparing the activities of molecules in a short time.

The current knowledge concerning solid cancer and therapy

Solid cancers comprise a large number of new cases and deaths from cancer each year globally. There are a number of strategies for addressing tumors raised from solid organs including surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, combinational therapy, and stem cell and extracellular vesicle (EV) therapy. Surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy are the dominant cures, but are not always effective, in which even in a localized tumor there is a possibility of tumor relapse after surgical resection. Over half of the cancer patients will receive radiotherapy as a part of their therapeutic schedule. Radiotherapy can cause an abscopal response for boosting the activity of the immune system outside the local field of radiation, but it may also cause an unwanted bystander effect, predisposing nonradiated cells into carcinogenesis. In the context of immunotherapy, immune checkpoint inhibition is known as the standard-of-care, but the major concern is in regard with cold cancers that show low responses to such therapy. Stem-cell therapy can be used to send prodrugs toward the tumor area; this strategy, however, has its own predicaments, such as unwanted attraction toward the other sites including healthy tissues and its instability. A substitute to such therapy and quite a novel strategy is to use EVs, by virtue of their stability and potential to cross biological barriers and long-term storage of contents. Combination therapy is the current focus. Despite advances in the field, there are still unmet concerns in the area of effective cancer therapy, raising challenges and opportunities for future investigations.