Biological activity of secondary metabolites of actinomycetes and their potential sources as antineoplastic drugs: a review

Actinomycetes are an important group of Gram-positive bacteria, renowned for their ability to produce a wide array of structurally diverse and biologically active secondary metabolites. These secondary metabolites have significant applications in fields such as antimicrobial and antifungal treatment...

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Main Authors: Sun Rui, Guo Fengrui, Zhang Yining, Shao Hong, Yang Xuewen, Wang Changping, Yang Chunjia
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-05-01
Series:Frontiers in Microbiology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1550516/full
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author Sun Rui
Guo Fengrui
Zhang Yining
Shao Hong
Yang Xuewen
Wang Changping
Yang Chunjia
author_facet Sun Rui
Guo Fengrui
Zhang Yining
Shao Hong
Yang Xuewen
Wang Changping
Yang Chunjia
author_sort Sun Rui
collection DOAJ
description Actinomycetes are an important group of Gram-positive bacteria, renowned for their ability to produce a wide array of structurally diverse and biologically active secondary metabolites. These secondary metabolites have significant applications in fields such as antimicrobial and antifungal treatments and show tremendous potential in cancer research. To comprehensively review the antitumor potential of actinomycetes-derived secondary metabolites, we conducted a systematic literature search across PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases, covering the period from January 2019 to January 2024. The search used keywords including “actinomycetes,” “secondary metabolites,” “antitumor,” “cancer therapy,” “bioactivity,” and “clinical application.” A total of 95 relevant articles were identified through database searches. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 87 articles were deemed eligible and fully reviewed in this article. These studies highlighted diverse structural classes of actinomycetes-derived antitumor compounds, including polyketides, non-ribosomal peptides, alkaloids, and terpenoids. Many of these metabolites exhibit potent anticancer properties through mechanisms such as inducing apoptosis, inhibiting proliferation, disrupting tumor microenvironment, and targeting key oncogenic signaling pathways. This review underscores the crucial role of actinomycetes secondary metabolites as an invaluable resource for antitumor drug discovery, offering new scientific insights into natural product-based cancer therapies, expanding the molecular toolbox for clinical oncology, and ultimately contributing to public health by advancing effective and innovative treatment options for cancer patients.
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spelling doaj-art-3c24f99a93354bb28462bef05fe1cd792025-08-20T03:38:49ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Microbiology1664-302X2025-05-011610.3389/fmicb.2025.15505161550516Biological activity of secondary metabolites of actinomycetes and their potential sources as antineoplastic drugs: a reviewSun Rui0Guo Fengrui1Zhang Yining2Shao Hong3Yang Xuewen4Wang Changping5Yang Chunjia6College of Biology and Agriculture, Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, ChinaSchool of Basic Medicine, Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, ChinaCollege of Biology and Agriculture, Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, ChinaCollege of Biology and Agriculture, Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, ChinaCollege of Biology and Agriculture, Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, ChinaCollege of Biology and Agriculture, Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, ChinaSchool of Basic Medicine, Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, ChinaActinomycetes are an important group of Gram-positive bacteria, renowned for their ability to produce a wide array of structurally diverse and biologically active secondary metabolites. These secondary metabolites have significant applications in fields such as antimicrobial and antifungal treatments and show tremendous potential in cancer research. To comprehensively review the antitumor potential of actinomycetes-derived secondary metabolites, we conducted a systematic literature search across PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases, covering the period from January 2019 to January 2024. The search used keywords including “actinomycetes,” “secondary metabolites,” “antitumor,” “cancer therapy,” “bioactivity,” and “clinical application.” A total of 95 relevant articles were identified through database searches. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 87 articles were deemed eligible and fully reviewed in this article. These studies highlighted diverse structural classes of actinomycetes-derived antitumor compounds, including polyketides, non-ribosomal peptides, alkaloids, and terpenoids. Many of these metabolites exhibit potent anticancer properties through mechanisms such as inducing apoptosis, inhibiting proliferation, disrupting tumor microenvironment, and targeting key oncogenic signaling pathways. This review underscores the crucial role of actinomycetes secondary metabolites as an invaluable resource for antitumor drug discovery, offering new scientific insights into natural product-based cancer therapies, expanding the molecular toolbox for clinical oncology, and ultimately contributing to public health by advancing effective and innovative treatment options for cancer patients.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1550516/fullactinomycetesantitumorcancersecondary metaboliteactivity
spellingShingle Sun Rui
Guo Fengrui
Zhang Yining
Shao Hong
Yang Xuewen
Wang Changping
Yang Chunjia
Biological activity of secondary metabolites of actinomycetes and their potential sources as antineoplastic drugs: a review
Frontiers in Microbiology
actinomycetes
antitumor
cancer
secondary metabolite
activity
title Biological activity of secondary metabolites of actinomycetes and their potential sources as antineoplastic drugs: a review
title_full Biological activity of secondary metabolites of actinomycetes and their potential sources as antineoplastic drugs: a review
title_fullStr Biological activity of secondary metabolites of actinomycetes and their potential sources as antineoplastic drugs: a review
title_full_unstemmed Biological activity of secondary metabolites of actinomycetes and their potential sources as antineoplastic drugs: a review
title_short Biological activity of secondary metabolites of actinomycetes and their potential sources as antineoplastic drugs: a review
title_sort biological activity of secondary metabolites of actinomycetes and their potential sources as antineoplastic drugs a review
topic actinomycetes
antitumor
cancer
secondary metabolite
activity
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1550516/full
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