RESUMEN
Cancer involves the uncontrolled division of cells resulting in abnormal cell growth due to various gene mutations and is considered the second major cause of death. Due to drug resistance to current anticancer drugs, cancer incidence is rising, and seeking effective treatment is a major concern. Natural products are prospective to yield unique molecules, as nature is a leading source of various drug molecules due to plenty of pharmacologically active molecules. Thymoquinone, a bioactive constituent obtained from Nigella sativa L., has drawn considerable attention among researchers in recent years due to its anticancer potential involving various molecular targets, including initiation of apoptosis initiation, arrest of cell cycle and generation of ROS, besides targeting multiple kinases such as tyrosine kinase, MAPK, and Janus kinase. The current review summarizes the thymoquinone chemistry, sources and anticancer potential involving various molecular targets.
Asunto(s)
Antineoplásicos , Productos Biológicos , Neoplasias , Nigella sativa , Humanos , Nigella sativa/química , Estudios Prospectivos , Especies Reactivas de Oxígeno , Benzoquinonas/química , Neoplasias/tratamiento farmacológico , Productos Biológicos/farmacología , Productos Biológicos/uso terapéutico , Antineoplásicos/farmacología , Antineoplásicos/uso terapéutico , Quinasas Janus/uso terapéuticoRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Genus Berberis (family Berberidaceae), which contains about 650 species and 17 genera worldwide, has been used in folklore and various traditional medicine systems. Berberis Linn. is the most established group among genera with around 450-500 species across the world. This comprehensive review will not only help researchers for further evaluation but also provide substantial information for future exploitation of species to develop novel herbal formulations. OBJECTIVE: The present review is focussed to summarize and collect the updated review of information of Berberis species reported to date regarding their ethnomedicinal information, chemical constituents, traditional/folklore use, and reported pharmacological activities on more than 40 species of Berberis. CONCLUSION: A comprehensive survey of the literature reveals that various species of the genus possess various phytoconstituents mainly alkaloids, flavonoid based compounds isolated from different parts of a plant with a wide range of pharmacological activities. So far, many pharmacological activities like anti-cancer, anti-hyperlipidemic, hepatoprotective, immunomodulatory, antiinflammatory both in vitro and in vivo and clinical study of different extracts/isolated compounds of different species of Berberis have been reported, proving their importance as a medicinal plant and claiming their traditional use.