Title:Physcion and Physcion 8-O-β-D-glucopyranoside: Natural Anthraquinones with Potential Anticancer Activities
Volume: 22
Issue: 5
Author(s): Muhammad Adnan, Azhar Rasul*, Ghulam Hussain, Muhammad Ajmal Shah*, Iqra Sarfraz, Bushra Nageen, Ammara Riaz, Rida Khalid, Muhammad Asrar, Zeliha Selamoglu, Şevki Adem and Satyajit D. Sarker
Affiliation:
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Government College University, Faisalabad,Pakistan
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Government College University, Faisalabad,Pakistan
Keywords:
Physcion, physcion 8-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, natural products, anthraquinone, anticancer, chemosensitization.
Abstract: Nature has provided prodigious reservoirs of pharmacologically active compounds for
drug development since times. Physcion and physcion 8-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (PG) are bioactive
natural anthraquinones which exert anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties with minimum
or no adverse effects. Moreover, physcion also exhibits anti-microbial and hepatoprotective properties,
while PG is known to have anti-sepsis as well as ameliorative activities against dementia. This
review aims to highlight the natural sources and anticancer activities of physcion and PG, along
with associated mechanisms of actions. On the basis of the literature, physcion and PG regulate
multitudinous cell signaling pathways through the modulation of various regulators of cell cycle,
protein kinases, microRNAs, transcriptional factors, and apoptosis linked proteins resulting in the
effective killing of cancerous cells in vitro as well as in vivo. Both compounds effectively suppress
metastasis, furthermore, physcion acts as an inhibitor of 6PGD and also plays an important role in
chemosensitization. This review article suggests that physcion and PG are potent anticancer drug
candidates, but further investigations on their mechanism of action and pre-clinical trials are mandatory
in order to comprehend the full potential of these natural cancer killers in anticancer remedies.