Molecular Targets of Plant-based Alkaloids and Polyphenolics in Liver and Breast Cancer- An Insight into Anticancer Drug Development

Liver and Breast cancer are ranked as the most prevailing cancers that cause high cancer-related mortality. As cancer is a life-threatening disease that affects the human population globally, there is a need to develop novel therapies. Among the available treatment options include radiotherapy, chemotherapy, surgery, and immunotherapy. The most superlative modern method is the use of plant-derived anticancer drugs that target the cancerous cells and inhibit their proliferation. Plant-derived compounds are generally considered safer than synthetic drugs/traditional therapies and could serve as potential novel targets to treat liver and breast cancer to revolutionize cancer treatment. Alkaloids and Polyphenols have been shown to act as anticancer agents through molecular approaches. They disrupt various cellular mechanisms, inhibit the production of cyclins and CDKs to arrest the cell cycle, and activate the DNA repairing mechanism by upregulating p53, p21, and p38 expression. In severe cases, when no repair is possible, they induce apoptosis in liver and breast cancer cells by activating caspase-3, 8, and 9 and increasing the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. They also deactivate several signaling pathways, such as PI3K/AKT/mTOR, STAT3, NF-κB, Shh, MAPK/ERK, and Wnt/β-catenin pathways, to control cancer cell progression and metastasis. The highlights of this review are the regulation of specific protein expressions that are crucial in cancer, such as in HER2 over-expressing breast cancer cells; alkaloids and polyphenols have been reported to reduce HER2 as well as MMP expression. This study reviewed more than 40 of the plant-based alkaloids and polyphenols with specific molecular targets against liver and breast cancer. Among them, Oxymatrine, Hirsutine, Piperine, Solamargine, and Brucine are currently under clinical trials by qualifying as potent anticancer agents due to lesser side effects. As a lot of research is there on anticancer compounds, there is a desideratum to compile data to move towards clinical trials phase 4 and control the prevalence of liver and breast cancer.