Chemical Constituents, Anticancer and Anti-Proliferative Potential of <i>Limonium</i> Species: A Systematic Review

• Main Authors: Naiara Cássia Gancedo (Author), Raquel Isolani (Author), Natalia Castelhano de Oliveira (Author), Celso Vataru Nakamura (Author), Daniela Cristina de Medeiros Araújo (Author), Andreia Cristina Conegero Sanches (Author), Fernanda Stumpf Tonin (Author), Fernando Fernandez-Llimos (Author), Danielly Chierrito (Author), João Carlos Palazzo de Mello (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: MDPI AG, 2023-02-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 10.3390/ph16020293; 1424-8247
• Keywords: antitumor activity; cytotoxicity; metastasis; phytochemicals; Plumbaginaceae; qualitative synthesis; Medicine; R; Pharmacy and materia medica; RS1-441
• Source: Pharmaceuticals, Vol 16, Iss 2, p 293 (2023)

<i>Limonium</i> species represent a source of bioactive compounds that have been widely used in folk medicine. This study aimed to synthesize the anticancer and anti-proliferative potential of <i>Limonium</i> species through a systematic review. Searches were performed in the electronic databases PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Scielo and via a manual search. <i>In vivo</i> or <i>in vitro</i> studies that evaluated the anticancer or anti-proliferative effect of at least one <i>Limonium</i> species were included. In total, 942 studies were identified, with 33 articles read in full and 17 studies included for qualitative synthesis. Of these, 14 (82.35%) refer to <i>in vitro</i> assays, one (5.88%) was <i>in vivo</i>, and two (11.76%) were designed as <i>in vitro</i> and <i>in vivo</i> assays. Different extracts and isolated compounds from <i>Limonium</i> species were evaluated through cytotoxic analysis against various cancer cells lines (especially hepatocellular carcinoma-HepG2; n = 7, 41.18%). <i>Limonium tetragonum</i> was the most evaluated species. The possible cellular mechanism involved in the anticancer activity of some <i>Limonium</i> species included the inhibition of enzymatic activities and expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), which suggested anti-metastatic effects, anti-melanogenic activity, cell proliferation inhibition pathways, and antioxidant and immunomodulatory effects. The results reinforce the potential of <i>Limonium</i> species as a source for the discovery and development of new potential cytotoxic and anticancer agents. However, further studies and improvements in experimental designs are needed to better demonstrate the mechanism of action of all of these compounds.