Cent Eur J Public Health 2013, 21(4):213-219 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3886

Naturally Occurring Substances and Their Role in Chemo-protective Effects

Miroslava Bilecová-Rabajdová1, Anna Birková1, Peter Urban1, Kristína Gregová2, Eva Ďurovcová3, Mária Mareková1
1 Department of Medical and Clinical Biochemistry and LABMED a.s., Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef ©afárik University, Koąice, Slovakia
2 Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef ©afárik University, Koąice, Slovakia
3 Laboratory diagnostic LABMED, Koąice, Slovakia

Cancer chemoprevention is defined as the use of natural, synthetic or biological chemical agents to reverse, suppress or prevent carcinogenic progression of invasive cancer. Carcinogenesis is a complex multi-step process; therefore, it is necessary to attack cell proliferation, stimulate apoptosis and inhibit angiogenesis. There have been more than 60 randomised trials using chemopreventive potential agents. The success of several recent clinical trials in preventing cancer in high-risk populations suggests that chemoprevention is a rational and appealing strategy. In this review, we describe the conceptual basis for the chemoprevention of cancer, proven concepts of efficiency and current trends in the use of chemopreventive agents according to place and mechanism of action. We classify chemopreventive substances into seven groups based on their chemical structure and their effects, namely, deltanoids (paracalcitriol), retinoids (13-cis retinoic acid), non-steroidal anti-rheumatics (Deguelin), antiestrogens (genistein), polyphenols (curcumin), sulphur containing compounds (sulforaphane) and terpenes (lycopene). Chemoprevention is one of several promising strategies for reducing the incidence of malignant tumours or helping to prolong the time before recurrence.

Keywords: chemoprevention, cancer, malignant transformation, inhibitors of metastasis

Received: March 5, 2013; Revised: July 15, 2013; Accepted: July 15, 2013; Published: December 1, 2013  Show citation

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Bilecová-Rabajdová M, Birková A, Urban P, Gregová K, Ďurovcová E, Mareková M. Naturally Occurring Substances and Their Role in Chemo-protective Effects. Cent Eur J Public Health. 2013;21(4):213-219. doi: 10.21101/cejph.a3886. PubMed PMID: 24592727.
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