Embelin: A multifaceted anticancer agent with translational potential in targeting tumor progression and metastasis

Authors

  • Adithya Jayaprakash Kamath Department of Pharmacognosy, Amrita School of Pharmacy, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, AIMS Health Sciences Campus, Kochi-682 041, India; Department of Pharmaceutics, Amrita School of Pharmacy, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, AIMS Health Sciences Campus, Kochi-682 041, India https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5270-0437
  • Alda Sara Chandy Department of Pharmacognosy, Amrita School of Pharmacy, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, AIMS Health Sciences Campus, Kochi-682 041, India https://orcid.org/0009-0004-8271-074X
  • Aina Ann Joseph Department of Pharmacognosy, Amrita School of Pharmacy, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, AIMS Health Sciences Campus, Kochi-682 041, India https://orcid.org/0009-0005-9350-0374
  • Jaggiah N. Gorantla Department of Chemistry, Wayne State University, Detroit-48202, Michigan, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6154-4923
  • Asawari Dilip Donadkar Department of Pharmacognosy, Amrita School of Pharmacy, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, AIMS Health Sciences Campus, Kochi-682 041, India; Department of Pharmaceutics, Amrita School of Pharmacy, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, AIMS Health Sciences Campus, Kochi-682 041, India https://orcid.org/0009-0004-9401-8419
  • Lekshmi R. Nath Department of Pharmacognosy, Amrita School of Pharmacy, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, AIMS Health Sciences Campus, Kochi-682 041, India; E-mail: lekshmirnath@aima.amrita.edu https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7726-7219
  • Javad Sharifi-Rad Facultad de Medicina, Universidad del Azuay, Cuenca, Ecuador; E-mail: javad.sharifirad@gmail.com https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7301-8151
  • Daniela Calina Department of Clinical Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania; E-mail: calinadaniela@gmail.com https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1523-9116

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17179/excli2023-6590

Keywords:

Embelin, Embelia ribes, cancer, antitumor mechanisms, bioavailability, toxicity of Embelin

Abstract

Embelin, a natural para-benzoquinone product, is derived from plants of the Embelia genus, particularly Embelia ribes Burm.f. A staple in traditional medicinal formulations for centuries, Embelin's pharmacological actions are attributed to the hydroxyl benzoquinone present in its structure. Its therapeutic potential is bolstered by unique physical and chemical properties. Recently, Embelin, recognized as a non-peptidic, cell-permeable small inhibitor of the X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP), has garnered significant attention for its anticancer activity. It demonstrates various anticancer mechanisms, such as apoptosis induction, cell cycle arrest, and autophagy, in different cancer types. Additionally, Embelin modulates several signal transduction pathways, including NF-κB, PI3Kinase/AKT, and STAT3, effectively inhibiting the proliferation of diverse cancer cell lines. This literature review illuminates the anticancer potential of Embelin, detailing its mechanisms of action and prospective clinical applications, based on relevant scientific literature from the past decade sourced from various electronic databases.

Downloads

Published

2023-12-13

How to Cite

Kamath, A. J., Chandy, A. S., Joseph, A. A., Gorantla, J. N., Donadkar, A. D., Nath, L. R., … Calina, D. (2023). Embelin: A multifaceted anticancer agent with translational potential in targeting tumor progression and metastasis. EXCLI Journal, 22, 1311–1329. https://doi.org/10.17179/excli2023-6590

Issue

Vol. 22 (2023)

Section

Review articles

Categories

License

Copyright (c) 2023 Adithya Jayaprakash Kamath, Alda Sara Chandy, Aina Ann Joseph, Jaggiah N. Gorantla, Asawari Dilip Donadkar, Lekshmi R. Nath, Javad Sharifi-Rad, Daniela Calina

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish in this journal agree to the following terms:

  • The authors keep the copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution license, CC BY 4.0. This licencse permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided that the original work is properly cited.
  • The use of general descriptive names, trade names, trademarks, and so forth in this publication, even if not specifically identified, does not imply that these names are not protected by the relevant laws and regulations.
  • Because the advice and information in this journal are believed to be true and accurate at the time of publication, neither the authors, the editors, nor the publisher accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions presented in the publication. The publisher makes no guarantee, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein.
  • The authors can enter into additional contracts for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version by citing the initial publication in this journal (e.g. publishing in an institutional repository or in a book).