Antitumor and antimetastatic actions of various natural products

Abstract

Abstract Although it has been recently thought that a number of medicinal plants and foodstuffs have antitumor and antimetastatic activities, the basis for this hearsay is unclear. Therefore, to clarify whether natural products have preventive effects on tumors growth and tumor metastasis, it has been using some biochemical and pharmacological approaches to examine the natural products isolated from various medicinal plants and food stuffs. In the present review, the antitumor and antimetastatic actions of various compounds isolated from some medicinal plants and foodstuffs were clarified by the analysis of biochemical and pharmacological approaches. The various foodstuffs such as Royal Jelly, tuna oil (main compound, DHA), EPA derivatives such as EPA dimer and low-molecular water-soluble chitosan inhibited the tumor growth and/or metastasis in the liver or lung, through the inhibition of tumor-induced angiogenesis and/or the activation of immune function. Chalcone derivatives such as xanthoangelol and 4-hydroxyderricin isolated from Angelica keiskei roots also inhibited the tumor growth and liver metastasis in tumor-bearing mice, through the inhibition of tumor-induced neovascularization and the stimulation of immune functions. Moreover, the pyroglutamate was isolated from the Basidiomycete fungus Agaricus blazei as an anti-angiogenic substance, and pyroglutamate inhibited the tumor growth and lung metastasis in tumor-bearing mice.