Natural Products as Novel Therapeutic Agents for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Current Evidence, Mechanisms, Challenges, and Opportunities
Breast cancer (BC) tops the list of causes for female fatalities globally, with the elusive triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) constituting 10–20% of all cases. Current clinical strategies for combating TNBC encompass a multifaceted approach, including surgical intervention, radiation therapy, che...
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2025-03-01
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| author | Qingzhou Li Zhen Ye Guilin Wang Yuhui Chen Jinghong Deng Dong Wang Yumei Wang |
| author_facet | Qingzhou Li Zhen Ye Guilin Wang Yuhui Chen Jinghong Deng Dong Wang Yumei Wang |
| author_sort | Qingzhou Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Breast cancer (BC) tops the list of causes for female fatalities globally, with the elusive triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) constituting 10–20% of all cases. Current clinical strategies for combating TNBC encompass a multifaceted approach, including surgical intervention, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and advanced targeted drugs and immunotherapies. While these modalities have catalyzed significant advancements in TNBC management, lingering limitations continue to pose formidable challenges. There is an acute need for novel therapeutics in the realm of TNBC treatment. Natural products (NPs) have emerged as a rich reservoir for pharmaceutical innovation, owing to their extraordinary range of structures and physicochemical properties. Scholars have reported diverse evidence of NPs’ efficacy against TNBC. This review aims to comprehensively explore the bioactive constituents, specifics and commonalities of chemical structure, and pharmacological mechanisms of NPs, specifically examining their multifaceted roles in impeding TNBC. NPs, which have recently garnered significant interest, are intriguing in terms of their capacity to combat TNBC through multifaceted mechanisms, including the suppression of tumor cell proliferation, the induction of apoptosis, and the inhibition of tumor metastasis. These natural agents primarily encompass a range of compounds, including terpenoids, glycosides, phenolic compounds, and alkaloids. An in-depth exploration has unveiled their involvement in key signaling pathways, including the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β), vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT), Wingless/Int-1 (Wnt) /β-catenin, and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. Meanwhile, this review also looks at the challenges and opportunities that arise from harnessing natural compounds to influence TNBC, while outlining the prospective trajectory for future research in the field of NPs. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4283ca7426274d1981f8f2cd90deb4af |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1420-3049 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Molecules |
| spelling | doaj-art-4283ca7426274d1981f8f2cd90deb4af2025-08-20T03:43:31ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492025-03-01306120110.3390/molecules30061201Natural Products as Novel Therapeutic Agents for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Current Evidence, Mechanisms, Challenges, and OpportunitiesQingzhou Li0Zhen Ye1Guilin Wang2Yuhui Chen3Jinghong Deng4Dong Wang5Yumei Wang6State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, ChinaSchool of Basic Medical Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, ChinaSchool of Basic Medical Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, ChinaSchool of Basic Medical Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, ChinaSchool of Basic Medical Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, ChinaBreast cancer (BC) tops the list of causes for female fatalities globally, with the elusive triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) constituting 10–20% of all cases. Current clinical strategies for combating TNBC encompass a multifaceted approach, including surgical intervention, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and advanced targeted drugs and immunotherapies. While these modalities have catalyzed significant advancements in TNBC management, lingering limitations continue to pose formidable challenges. There is an acute need for novel therapeutics in the realm of TNBC treatment. Natural products (NPs) have emerged as a rich reservoir for pharmaceutical innovation, owing to their extraordinary range of structures and physicochemical properties. Scholars have reported diverse evidence of NPs’ efficacy against TNBC. This review aims to comprehensively explore the bioactive constituents, specifics and commonalities of chemical structure, and pharmacological mechanisms of NPs, specifically examining their multifaceted roles in impeding TNBC. NPs, which have recently garnered significant interest, are intriguing in terms of their capacity to combat TNBC through multifaceted mechanisms, including the suppression of tumor cell proliferation, the induction of apoptosis, and the inhibition of tumor metastasis. These natural agents primarily encompass a range of compounds, including terpenoids, glycosides, phenolic compounds, and alkaloids. An in-depth exploration has unveiled their involvement in key signaling pathways, including the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β), vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT), Wingless/Int-1 (Wnt) /β-catenin, and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. Meanwhile, this review also looks at the challenges and opportunities that arise from harnessing natural compounds to influence TNBC, while outlining the prospective trajectory for future research in the field of NPs.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/6/1201triple-negative breast cancerherbal medicinenatural productstherapeutic strategiesmechanism |
| spellingShingle | Qingzhou Li Zhen Ye Guilin Wang Yuhui Chen Jinghong Deng Dong Wang Yumei Wang Natural Products as Novel Therapeutic Agents for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Current Evidence, Mechanisms, Challenges, and Opportunities Molecules triple-negative breast cancer herbal medicine natural products therapeutic strategies mechanism |
| title | Natural Products as Novel Therapeutic Agents for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Current Evidence, Mechanisms, Challenges, and Opportunities |
| title_full | Natural Products as Novel Therapeutic Agents for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Current Evidence, Mechanisms, Challenges, and Opportunities |
| title_fullStr | Natural Products as Novel Therapeutic Agents for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Current Evidence, Mechanisms, Challenges, and Opportunities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Natural Products as Novel Therapeutic Agents for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Current Evidence, Mechanisms, Challenges, and Opportunities |
| title_short | Natural Products as Novel Therapeutic Agents for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Current Evidence, Mechanisms, Challenges, and Opportunities |
| title_sort | natural products as novel therapeutic agents for triple negative breast cancer current evidence mechanisms challenges and opportunities |
| topic | triple-negative breast cancer herbal medicine natural products therapeutic strategies mechanism |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/6/1201 |
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