Open Access

Ailanthone: A novel potential drug for treating human cancer (Review)

  • Authors:
    • Haixiang Ding
    • Xiuchong Yu
    • Chen Hang
    • Kaijun Gao
    • Xifeng Lao
    • Yangtao Jia
    • Zhilong Yan
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: June 9, 2020     https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2020.11710
  • Pages: 1489-1503
  • Copyright: © Ding et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Cancer is the second leading cause of death after cardiovascular disease. In 2015, >8.7 million people died worldwide due to cancer, and by 2030 this figure is expected to increase to ~13.1 million. Tumor chemotherapy drugs have specific toxicity and side effects, and patients can also develop secondary drug resistance. To prevent and treat cancer, scientists have developed novel drugs with improved antitumor effects and decreased toxicity. Ailanthone (AIL) is a quassinoid extract from the traditional Chinese medicine plant Ailanthus altissima, which is known to have anti‑inflammatory and antimalarial effects. An increasing number of studies have focused on AIL due to its antitumor activity. AIL can inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis by up‑ or downregulating cancer‑associated molecules, which ultimately leads to cancer cell death. Antitumor effects of AIL have been observed in melanoma, acute myeloid leukemia, bladder, lung, breast, gastric and prostate cancer and vestibular neurilemmoma. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first review to describe the antitumor mechanisms of AIL.
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August-2020
Volume 20 Issue 2

Print ISSN: 1792-1074
Online ISSN:1792-1082

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Copy and paste a formatted citation
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Spandidos Publications style
Ding H, Yu X, Hang C, Gao K, Lao X, Jia Y and Yan Z: Ailanthone: A novel potential drug for treating human cancer (Review). Oncol Lett 20: 1489-1503, 2020
APA
Ding, H., Yu, X., Hang, C., Gao, K., Lao, X., Jia, Y., & Yan, Z. (2020). Ailanthone: A novel potential drug for treating human cancer (Review). Oncology Letters, 20, 1489-1503. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2020.11710
MLA
Ding, H., Yu, X., Hang, C., Gao, K., Lao, X., Jia, Y., Yan, Z."Ailanthone: A novel potential drug for treating human cancer (Review)". Oncology Letters 20.2 (2020): 1489-1503.
Chicago
Ding, H., Yu, X., Hang, C., Gao, K., Lao, X., Jia, Y., Yan, Z."Ailanthone: A novel potential drug for treating human cancer (Review)". Oncology Letters 20, no. 2 (2020): 1489-1503. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2020.11710