International Journal of Nanomedicine (Dec 2020)
Gambogic Acid as a Candidate for Cancer Therapy: A Review
Abstract
Yuling Liu,1 Yingchong Chen,2 Longfei Lin,1 Hui Li1 1Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 2Key Laboratory of Modern Preparation of TCM, Ministry of Education, Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Hui LiInstitute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, 16 Nanxiao Street, Dongzhimen, Dongcheng District, Beijing, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail [email protected]: Gambogic acid (GA), a kind of dry resin secreted by the Garcinia hanburyi tree, is a natural active ingredient with various biological activities, such as anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-bacterial effects, etc. An increasing amount of evidence indicates that GA has obvious anti-cancer effects via various molecular mechanisms, including the induction of apoptosis, autophagy, cell cycle arrest and the inhibition of invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis. In order to improve the efficacy in cancer treatment, nanometer drug delivery systems have been employed to load GA and form micelles, nanoparticles, nanofibers, and so on. In this review, we aim to offer a summary of chemical structure and properties, anti-cancer activities, drug delivery systems and combination therapy of GA, which might provide a reference to promote the development and clinical application of GA.Keywords: gambogic acid, anti-cancer activities, drug delivery systems, combination therapy
