The efficacy of natural bioactive compounds against prostate cancer: Molecular targets and synergistic activities
Md. Abdur Rashid Mia, Dipta Dey, Musfiqur Rahman Sakib, Md. Yeaman Biswas, Abdullah Al Shamsh Prottay, Niloy Paul, Fahmida Hoque Rimti, Yusuf Abdullah, Partha Biswas, Md. Iftehimul, Priyanka Paul, Chandan Kumar Sarkar, Heba A. S. El‐Nashar, Mohamed El‐Shazly, Muhammad Torequl Islam
Abstract
Globally, prostate cancer (PCa) is regarded as a challenging health issue, and the number of PCa patients continues to rise despite the availability of effective treatments in recent decades. The current therapy with chemotherapeutic drugs has been largely ineffective due to multidrug resistance and the conventional treatment has restricted drug accessibility to malignant tissues, necessitating a higher dosage resulting in increased cytotoxicity. Plant-derived bioactive compounds have recently attracted a great deal of attention in the field of PCa treatment due to their potent effects on several molecular targets and synergistic effects with anti-PCa drugs. This review emphasizes the molecular mechanism of phytochemicals on PCa cells, the synergistic effects of compound-drug interactions, and stem cell targeting for PCa treatment. Some potential compounds, such as curcumin, phenethyl-isothiocyanate, fisetin, baicalein, berberine, lutein, and many others, exert an anti-PCa effect via inhibiting proliferation, metastasis, cell cycle progression, and normal apoptosis pathways. In addition, multiple studies have demonstrated that the isolated natural compounds: d-limonene, paeonol, lanreotide, artesunate, and bicalutamide have potential synergistic effects. Further, a significant number of natural compounds effectively target PCa stem cells. However, further high-quality studies are needed to firmly establish the clinical efficacy of these phytochemicals against PCa.