Brucea javanica: A review on anticancer of its pharmacological properties and clinical researches

The dried fruits of Brucea javanica (L.) Merr (BJ) is being widely investigated, both in lab and in clinic, to explore its potential anticancer activity and molecular mechanism involved. We appraised the available literature and suggested the future research directions to improve the medicinal value of BJ. In this review, we have summarized the scientific findings from experimental and clinical studies regarding the anticancer activity and mechanisms. Numerous studies have reported that BJ exerts anticancer effect on various types of cancer lines through inhibiting cell proliferation, inducing apoptosis, inhibiting migration/invasion, inducing autophagy and restraining angiogenesis. Brucea javanica triggers the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), release of cytochrome C, activation of mitochondrial apoptosis pathway and regulation of a series of signal pathways and proteins related to cancer. The molecular mechanism involved are inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR, NF-κB and Nrf2-Notch1 pathways; up or down modulating the levels of p53, p62, p21, Bax, and Bcl-2 respectively, and inhibiting the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Brucea javanica’s efficacy in treating cancer patients either as a main or supportive treatment is also discussed in this review. This review will serve as a comprehensive resource of BJ's potential as anticancer agent and its molecular pathways. The analysis of the literature suggests that BJ can serve as a potential candidate for the treatment of cancer.