Revolutionizing cancer treatment: ROS-induced apoptosis via nanoformulated alkaloids

Abstract

Cancer is a universal health issue, killing one in every six people across the world. The treatment of cancer is a complicated task, conventional therapies alone and combined therapy also have serious challenges due to cancer cells non-specificity. However, advanced target-based therapies like ablation therapy, stem cell therapy, natural antioxidants, and nanoparticles are emerging to protect against non-cancer cell toxicity. Recently targeted therapies focus on Reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced cytotoxicity. They activate apoptotic signaling molecules using small molecules to target cancer cells. Several plant compounds have reported their anticancer activity via induced apoptosis with ROS mediators in cancer cells. Among plant-derived compounds, alkaloids are widely used in cancer therapy, some of which can mediate ROS by targeting various cellular components such as proliferation, cell cycle, tumor suppression, metastasis, and apoptosis. The effectiveness of alkaloids is limited due to their low solubility, poor bioavailability, and lack of specificity for targeting cancer cells. To overcome this limitation, nanoformulations are the promising approach for effective target drug delivery. Nanocarriers like liposomes, micelles, dendrimers, and nanoparticles are designed to deliver alkaloids effectively to tumor sites, ensuring optimal drug concentrations and overcoming the challenging tumor microenvironment. This review adopts an evidence-based approach to identify and evaluate the nanoformulated alkaloid and the ROS-mediated apoptosis signaling pathway against multiple cancers as a possible therapeutic option.