The effects of anticancer medicinal herbs on vascular endothelial growth factor based on pharmacological aspects: a review study

Abstract

As a complicated process of forming new blood vessels from the present vasculature endothelium, angiogenesis plays a critical role in the progression of cancer, through developing new blood vessels in tumor cells. Angiogenesis is regulated by proteins known as inhibitor or activator molecules, affected by different medicinal herbs and small molecules. In the present review, the molecular mechanisms of tumor angiogenesis are outlined, focusing on the pharmacological aspects and molecular mechanisms of natural compounds used in chemotherapy and their effects on angiogenesis, focusing on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).

Our findings show that a significant number of drugs used in the treatment of cancer are antiangiogenic small molecules and phytochemicals which inhibit VEGF and angiogenesis. Besides, medicinal herbs are potential multi-target agents with more covering mechanisms, lower costs and lower toxicity to develop novel anticancer drugs through targeting the VEGF signaling pathway and receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) in the angiogenesis. For this reason, herbal anti-VEGF agents are considered as imperative targets to be used for cancer treatment in clinical applications.

The findings reveal a promising perspective for medicinal herbs and natural compounds acting on VEGF and angiogenesis to find new targets and potential therapeutic use in the treatment of cancer.

Acknowledgments

This review did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Disclosure statement

The authors declared no conflicts of interest.