Allicin and Cancer Hallmarks

• Published in: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 29; no. 6; p. 1320
• Main Authors: Talib, Wamidh H, Baban, Media Mohammed, Azzam, Aya O, Issa, Jenan J, Ali, Alaa Y, AlSuwais, Alia Kh, Allala, Sana, Al Kury, Lina T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01-03-2024; MDPI
• Subjects: allicin; Angiogenesis; anticancer; Antineoplastic Agents - pharmacology; Antineoplastic Agents - therapeutic use; Antioxidants; Apoptosis; Bioavailability; Cancer; cancer hallmarks; Cancer therapies; Care and treatment; Cell death; Cell division; Cell growth; Chromosomes; Colon cancer; Colonic Neoplasms - drug therapy; Development and progression; Disulfides; DNA damage; Enzymes; Epigenetics; Garlic; Garlic - chemistry; Genomes; Health aspects; Humans; immune evasion; Lipids; Liver cancer; Male; Medicinal plants; Medicine, Botanic; Medicine, Herbal; Metabolism; Metabolites; Metastasis; Nanoparticles; Permeability; Plant Extracts - chemistry; Plants, Medicinal; Polyethylene glycol; Prospective Studies; Review; Sulfinic Acids - chemistry; Sulfur compounds; Toxicity; allicin; cancer hallmarks; immune evasion; metastasis; angiogenesis; anticancer
• ISSN: 1420-3049; 1420-3049
• DOI: 10.3390/molecules29061320

Natural products, particularly medicinal plants, are crucial in combating cancer and aiding in the discovery and development of new therapeutic agents owing to their biologically active compounds. They offer a promising avenue for developing effective anticancer medications because of their low toxicity, diverse chemical structures, and ability to target various cancers. Allicin is one of the main ingredients in garlic (
L.). It is a bioactive sulfur compound maintained in various plant sections in a precursor state. Numerous studies have documented the positive health benefits of this natural compound on many chronic conditions, including gastric, hepatic, breast, lung, cervical, prostate, and colon cancer. Moreover, allicin may target several cancer hallmarks or fundamental biological traits and functions that influence cancer development and spread. Cancer hallmarks include sustained proliferation, evasion of growth suppressors, metastasis, replicative immortality, angiogenesis, resistance to cell death, altered cellular energetics, and immune evasion. The findings of this review should provide researchers and medical professionals with a solid basis to support fundamental and clinical investigations of allicin as a prospective anticancer drug. This review outlines the anticancer role of allicin in each hallmark of cancer.