Berberine-A potent chemosensitizer and chemoprotector to conventional cancer therapies.
Nalini DevarajanSelvaraj JayaramanJaideep MahendraPurushothaman VenkatratnamPonnulakshmi RajagopalHema PalaniappanGanesan Senthil KumarPublished in: Phytotherapy research : PTR (2021)
Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are mainstay treatments for cancer patients. However, their clinical outcomes are highly limited by the resistance of malignant tumors to these therapies and the incurrence of serious damages in vital organs. This in turn necessitates the development of adjunct drugs that overcomes chemo/radioresistance in refractory cancers and protects vital organs from the cytotoxic effects of cancer therapies. In recent years, Berberine (BBR), a natural isoquinoline alkaloid has garnered more attention due to its potent chemosensitizing and chemoprotective properties. BBR effectively sensitizes refractory cancers to chemotherapy and radiotherapy by ameliorating the diverse events underlying therapy resistance. Furthermore, it protects the heart, liver, lungs, and kidneys from severe damages caused by these therapies. In this review, we discuss the molecular mechanisms underlying the chemo/radiosensitizing and chemo/radioprotective potential of BBR during cancer treatment. Also, we highlight the limitations that hamper the clinical application of BBR as an adjunct drug and how novel innovations have been made in recent years to circumvent these challenges.
Keyphrases
- locally advanced
- rectal cancer
- papillary thyroid
- squamous cell carcinoma
- photodynamic therapy
- radiation therapy
- early stage
- squamous cell
- cancer therapy
- childhood cancer
- heart failure
- radiation induced
- combination therapy
- working memory
- emergency department
- lymph node metastasis
- bone marrow
- early onset
- signaling pathway
- fluorescent probe
- anti inflammatory
- drug delivery
- oxidative stress
- living cells
- single molecule
- dna damage response
- adverse drug