Cellular and molecular mechanisms of arenobufagin in cancer therapy: a systematic review

The search for effective and safe therapeutic options is the goal of clinical treatment for cancer patients. In recent years, natural products have received increasing attention in order to develop new drugs with good antitumor effects and fewer side effects. Arenobufagin (ARBU), an important active ingredient extracted from Toad venom, has been shown to exhibit anti-cancer effects in basic research. Studies have revealed that ARBU has a wide range of potent biological activities and plays an important role as an anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-viral, and for the treatment of cardiac insufficiency. ARBU has shown promising anti-cancer activity in preclinical research. Therefore, it has attracted increasing attention from researchers. In this paper, its antitumor effects were reviewed in terms of cell cycle arrest, induction of cell apoptosis and autophagy, improvement of immunity, inhibition of proliferation, angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis. In addition, the safety and toxicity of the compound were further discussed. Follow-up experiments, especially clinical trials, are needed in order to elucidate the benefits and adverse effects of ARBU on cancer patients.