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Harnessing Natural Products to Surmount Drug Resistance in Gastric Cancer: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Perspectives

Summary

Gastric cancer is a serious disease that often becomes resistant to chemotherapy drugs, making treatment difficult. This review examines how natural products found in plants and herbs can help overcome this drug resistance. These natural compounds work through multiple mechanisms, including targeting cancer stem cells, boosting the immune system, and enhancing the effectiveness of standard chemotherapy treatments.

Background

Gastric cancer remains a major cause of mortality worldwide with over 1 million new cases diagnosed annually. Current standard chemotherapy using platinum, fluoropyrimidines, and docetaxel is hindered by intrinsic and acquired drug resistance. Natural products have emerged as promising therapeutic agents for overcoming chemoresistance mechanisms in gastric cancer.

Objective

This review comprehensively analyzes mechanisms of chemoresistance in gastric cancer and explores how natural products can overcome distinct multidrug resistance modalities. The paper evaluates the therapeutic potential of combining natural products with established chemotherapeutics and immunotherapy agents to enhance treatment efficacy.

Results

Multiple natural products demonstrated significant anti-cancer activities including evodiamine, sulforaphane, curcumin, and traditional Chinese medicinal formulas. These compounds inhibit cancer stem cells through Wnt/β-catenin, Hedgehog, and Notch pathways; modulate tumor-associated macrophages; enhance T lymphocyte and NK cell responses; and reduce MDSC populations while improving chemotherapy efficacy.

Conclusion

Natural products offer promising multi-target approaches to overcome chemoresistance in gastric cancer through various mechanisms. Combining natural products with conventional chemotherapy and immunotherapy represents a viable strategy to enhance treatment outcomes and reduce adverse effects in gastric cancer patients.
  • Published in:International Journal of Biological Sciences,
  • Study Type:Review,
  • Source: 40765835
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