Plant-derived bioactive compounds in Neuroblastoma therapeutics: Current outlook and future perspective

Abstract

Across the globe, neuroblastoma is responsible for around 15% of child deaths. The cell signaling alterations associated with the disease often result in redundancy and tumor relapse. A plethora of chemotherapeutics, which are already available in the market, are repurposed to treat it. However, they show limited to no efficacy, giving less relief to patients. Systemic toxicities associated with drugs are often linked with comorbidities and result in their discontinuation in clinical settings. Phytochemicals, on the other hand, have come up as an alternative, with the benefits of chemopreventives and fewer side effects. Many preclinical studies using plant-derived compounds have reported molecular targets that suppress neuroblastoma growth with less toxicity. The efficacy of phytochemicals in human trials has led to their approval in clinics. India, being a rich source of biodiversity, inhabits around 11.4% of the floral population of the world. The biologically active compounds extracted from the plants grown in the Indian subcontinent have exhibited high medicinal properties since time immemorial. Our work provides insight into potential phytochemicals, obtained from Indian plants, that can be used to target molecular alterations in neuroblastoma. Besides, Measures to overcome the side effects and low bioavailability of these phytochemicals have also been discussed here.

URN:NBN:sciencein.cbl.2022.v9.400