The Anticancer Potential of Quassinoids—A Mini-Review
Cai Lu,
Si-Nan Lu,
Di Di,
Wei-Wei Tao,
Lu Fan,
Jin-Ao Duan,
Ming Zhao,
Chun-Tao Che
Affiliations
Cai Lu
Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resource Industrialization, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China; National and Local Collaborative Engineering Center of Chinese Medicinal Resource Industrialization and Formulae Innovative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
Si-Nan Lu
Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resource Industrialization, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China; National and Local Collaborative Engineering Center of Chinese Medicinal Resource Industrialization and Formulae Innovative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
Di Di
Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resource Industrialization, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China; National and Local Collaborative Engineering Center of Chinese Medicinal Resource Industrialization and Formulae Innovative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
Wei-Wei Tao
School of Chinese Medicine & School of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
Lu Fan
School of Medicine & Holistic Integrative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
Jin-Ao Duan
Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resource Industrialization, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China; National and Local Collaborative Engineering Center of Chinese Medicinal Resource Industrialization and Formulae Innovative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
Ming Zhao
Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resource Industrialization, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China; National and Local Collaborative Engineering Center of Chinese Medicinal Resource Industrialization and Formulae Innovative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA; Corresponding authors.
Chun-Tao Che
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA; Corresponding authors.
The anticancer potential of quassinoids has attracted a great deal of attention for decades, and scientific data revealing their possible applications in cancer management are continuously increasing in the literature. Aside from the potent cytotoxic and antitumor properties of these degraded triterpenes, several quassinoids have exhibited synergistic effects with anticancer drugs. This article provides an overview of the potential anticancer properties of quassinoids, including their cytotoxic and antitumor activities, mechanisms of action, safety evaluation, and potential benefits in combination with anticancer drugs.
