Role of natural products in tumor therapy from basic research and clinical perspectives

Abstract

Cancer is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and is an important barrier to lengthening life expectancy in every country. Natural products are receiving increased attention from researchers globally and increasing numbers of natural products are approved for clinical studies involving cancer in recent years. To gain more insight into natural products that have undergone clinical trials for cancer treatment, a comprehensive search was conducted. The https://clinicaltrials.gov website was searched for relevant clinical trials and natural product information up to December 2022. The search terms included different types of cancers, such as colorectal, lung, breast, gynecologic, kidney, bladder, melanoma, pancreatic, hepatocellular, gastric and haematologic. Then, PubMed and Web of Science were searched for relevant articles up to February 2024. Hence, we listed existing clinical trials about natural products used in the treatment of cancers and discussed the preclinical and clinical studies of some promising natural products and their targets, indications, and underlying mechanisms of action. Our intent was to provide basic information to readers who are interested or majoring in natural products and obtain a deeper understanding of the progress and actions of natural product mechanisms of action.