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Liver cancer wars: plant-derived polyphenols strike back

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Abstract

Liver cancer currently represents the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. The majority of liver cancer arises in the context of chronic inflammation and cirrhosis. Surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy have been the guideline-recommended treatment options for decades. Despite enormous advances in the field of liver cancer therapy, an effective cure is yet to be found. Plant-derived polyphenols constitute a large family of phytochemicals, with pleiotropic effects and little toxicity. They can drive cellular events and modify multiple signaling pathways which involves initiation, progression and metastasis of liver cancer and play an important role in contributing to anti-liver cancer drug development. The potential of plant-derived polyphenols for treating liver cancer has gained attention from research clinicians and pharmaceutical scientists worldwide in the last decades. This review overviews hepatic carcinogenesis and briefly discusses anti-liver cancer mechanisms associated with plant-derived polyphenols, specifically involving cell proliferation, apoptosis, autophagy, angiogenesis, oxidative stress, inflammation, and metastasis. We focus on plant-derived polyphenols with experiment-based chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic properties against liver cancer and generalize their basic molecular mechanisms of action. We also discuss potential opportunities and challenges in translating plant-derived polyphenols from preclinical success into clinical applications.

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Data availability

No data was used for the research described in the article.

Abbreviations

AMPK:

Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase

CTNNB1:

Catenin beta 1

DEN:

Diethylnitrosamine

EMT:

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition

MAPK:

Mitogen-activated protein kinase

mTOR:

Mammalian target of rapamycin

NF-κB:

Nuclear factor-κ B

PI3K:

Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

TP53:

Tumor protein 53

VEGF:

Vascular endothelial growth factor

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge that many excellent literature regarding polyphenols combating liver cancer that has not been included here due to space limitations.

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The authors declare that no funds, grants, or other supportwere received during the preparation of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Internal Medicine Residency Program, Rochester General Hospital, 1425 Portland Avenue, Rochester, NY, 14621, USA

    Chengu Niu

  2. Rainier Springs Behavioral Health Hospital, 2805 NE 129th St, Vancouver, WA, 98686, USA

    Jing Zhang

  3. Division of Gastroenterology, Rochester General Hospital, Rochester, NY, 14621, USA

    Patrick I. Okolo 3rd

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  1. Chengu Niu
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  2. Jing Zhang
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  3. Patrick I. Okolo 3rd
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. PIO Iii critically revised the manuscript and provided feedback. CN and JZ reviewed the literature and drafted the manuscript; CN generated the figure artwork. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Niu, C., Zhang, J. & Okolo, P. Liver cancer wars: plant-derived polyphenols strike back. Med Oncol 41, 116 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12032-024-02353-1

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