Understanding the Effect of Natural Products on Breast Cancer via P53-MDM 2 Signal Pathway

Abstract

The use of medicinal plants in the treatment of diseases has a long history dating back to the presence of humans on earth. Cancer has almost been an incurable disease, and among the various cancers, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women and imposes an enormous burden on patients. Although medical and surgical solutions have been proposed for the disease, it has not been successful enough to treat the disease in many patients. In recent years, more studies have been done on the effects of medicinal plants on breast cancer, and scientists are trying to find the exact mechanisms of action for these plants to find effective ways for controlling cancer cell growth.  This article focuses on P53 and MDM2, two very important genes involved in regulation of cell growth and proliferation both in cancer and normal tissue, and we also gathered the list of natural compounds targeting the MDM2-p53 pathway. Our results provide a list of plant families that can influence this pathway and have great potential in designing treatments against cancers that encompass deregulation of the MDM2-p53 pathway.