Caffeic acid phenethyl ester inhibits the progression of ovarian cancer by regulating NF-κB signaling

Anticancer potential of hydroxycinnamic acids: mechanisms, bioavailability, and therapeutic applications

Hydroxycinnamic acids (HCAs) are plant compounds with anticancer potential due to their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, apoptosis-inducing, and proliferation-inhibiting effects. This review aims to consolidate and analyze current knowledge on the anticancer effects of HCAs, exploring their mechanisms of action, bioavailability challenges, and potential therapeutic applications. A comprehensive literature search on PubMed/MedLine, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar focused on the anticancer properties, mechanisms, bioavailability, and safety profiles of HCAs. Studies have shown that HCAs, such as caffeic acid, ferulic acid, and sinapic acid, inhibit the growth of cancer cells in vitro and in vivo and sensitize cancer cells to chemotherapy and radiation therapy. These effects are mediated by mechanisms including the inhibition of cell survival pathways, modulation of gene expression, and induction of oxidative stress and DNA damage. Additionally, several studies have demonstrated that HCAs exhibit selective toxicity, with a higher propensity to induce cell death in cancerous cells compared to normal cells. However, the toxicity profile of HCAs can vary depending on the specific compound, dosage, and experimental conditions. The anticancer properties of HCAs suggest potential applications in cancer prevention and treatment. However, it is essential to distinguish between their use as dietary supplements and therapeutic agents, as the dosage and formulation suitable for dietary supplements may be insufficient for therapeutic purposes. The regulatory and practical implications of using HCAs in these different contexts require careful consideration. Further research is needed to determine appropriate dosages, formulations, long-term effects, and regulatory frameworks for HCAs as both dietary supplements and therapeutic agents.

Dietary factors and their influence on immunotherapy strategies in oncology: a comprehensive review

Immunotherapy is emerging as a promising avenue in oncology, gaining increasing importance and offering substantial advantages when compared to chemotherapy or radiotherapy. However, in the context of immunotherapy, there is the potential for the immune system to either support or hinder the administered treatment. This review encompasses recent and pivotal studies that assess the influence of dietary elements, including vitamins, fatty acids, nutrients, small dietary molecules, dietary patterns, and caloric restriction, on the ability to modulate immune responses. Furthermore, the article underscores how these dietary factors have the potential to modify and enhance the effectiveness of anticancer immunotherapy. It emphasizes the necessity for additional research to comprehend the underlying mechanisms for optimizing the efficacy of anticancer therapy and defining dietary strategies that may reduce cancer-related morbidity and mortality. Persistent investigation in this field holds significant promise for improving cancer treatment outcomes and maximizing the benefits of immunotherapy.

Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester: A Potential Therapeutic Cancer Agent?

BACKGROUND

Propolis and its major phenolic compound, caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), have garnered considerable scientific interest due to their anti- inflammatory properties and potential therapeutic applications.

OBJECTIVES

This narrative review explores the potential utility of CAPE in cancer treatment.

METHODS

We comprehensively reviewed relevant studies from scientific databases (PubMed and Web of Science) from 2000 to 2022. Our search focused on keywords such as cancer, natural drugs, caffeic acid phenethyl ester, CAPE, cancer cell lines, antitumor effects, and propolis.

RESULTS

CAPE exhibits diverse biological benefits, including antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, and potentially anti-carcinogenic properties. Numerous studies have demonstrated its wide-ranging antitumor effects on various cancer cell lines, including growth inhibition, apoptosis induction, tumor invasiveness prevention, malignancy suppression, and anti-angiogenic activity.

CONCLUSION

Following comprehensive preclinical toxicity assessments, further evaluation of CAPE's efficacy and safety through clinical trials is highly recommended to elucidate its potential health benefits in diverse forms of human cancer.

Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester (CAPE) Synergistically Enhances Paclitaxel Activity in Ovarian Cancer Cells

Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) belongs to the phenols found in propolis. It has already shown strong antiproliferative, cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic activities against head and neck cancers and against breast, colorectal, lung and leukemia cancer cells. Ovarian cancer is one of the most dangerous gynecological cancers. Its treatment involves intensive chemotherapy with platinum salts and paclitaxel (PTX). The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the combined use of CAPE and paclitaxel increases the effectiveness of chemotherapeutic agents. The experiment was performed on three ovarian cancer lines: OV7, HTB78, and CRL1572. The effect of the tested compounds was assessed using H-E staining, a wound-healing test, MTT and the cell death detection ELISAPLUS test. The experiment proved that very low doses of PTX (10 nM) showed a cytotoxic effect against all the cell lines tested. Also, the selected doses of CAPE had a cytotoxic effect on the tested ovarian cancer cells. An increase in the cytotoxic effect was observed in the OV7 line after the simultaneous administration of 10 nM PTX and 100 µM CAPE. The increase in the cytotoxicity was dependent on the CAPE dosage (50 vs. 100 µM) and on the duration of the experiment. In the other cell lines tested, the cytotoxic effect of PTX did not increase after the CAPE administration. The administration of PTX together with CAPE increased the percentage of apoptotic cells in the tested ovarian cancer cell lines. Moreover, the simultaneous administration of PTX and CAPE enhanced the anti-migration activity of the chemotherapeutic used in this study.

Therapeutic efficacy of caffeic acid phenethyl ester in cancer therapy: An updated review

Nowadays, there is a lot of public and scientific interest in using phytochemicals to treat human ailments. Existing cancer medicines still run across obstacles, despite significant advancements in the field. For instance, chemotherapy may result in severe adverse effects, increased drug resistance, and treatment failure. Natural substances that are phytochemically derived provide innovative approaches as potent therapeutic molecules for the treatment of cancer. Bioactive natural compounds may enhance chemotherapy for cancer by increasing the sensitivity of cancer cells to medicines. Propolis has been found to interfere with the viability of cancer cells, among other phytochemicals. Of all the components that make up propolis, caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) (a flavonoid) has been the subject of the most research. It demonstrates a broad spectrum of therapeutic uses, including antitumor, antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, and cardioprotective effects. Studies conducted in vitro and in vivo have demonstrated that CAPE specifically targets genes involved in cell death, cell cycle regulation, angiogenesis, and metastasis. By altering specific signaling cascades, such as the NF-κB signaling pathway, CAPE can limit the proliferation of human cancer cells. This review highlights the research findings demonstrating the anticancer potential of CAPE with a focus on multitargeted molecular and biological implications in various cancer models.

Phenolic Acids-Mediated Regulation of Molecular Targets in Ovarian Cancer: Current Understanding and Future Perspectives

Cancer is a global health concern with a dynamic rise in occurrence and one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Among different types of cancer, ovarian cancer (OC) is the seventh most diagnosed malignant tumor, while among the gynecological malignancies, it ranks third after cervical and uterine cancer and sadly bears the highest mortality and worst prognosis. First-line treatments have included a variety of cytotoxic and synthetic chemotherapeutic medicines, but they have not been particularly effective in extending OC patients' lives and are associated with side effects, recurrence risk, and drug resistance. Hence, a shift from synthetic to phytochemical-based agents is gaining popularity, and researchers are looking into alternative, cost-effective, and safer chemotherapeutic strategies. Lately, studies on the effectiveness of phenolic acids in ovarian cancer have sparked the scientific community's interest because of their high bioavailability, safety profile, lesser side effects, and cost-effectiveness. Yet this is a road less explored and critically analyzed and lacks the credibility of the novel findings. Phenolic acids are a significant class of phytochemicals usually considered in the nonflavonoid category. The current review focused on the anticancer potential of phenolic acids with a special emphasis on chemoprevention and treatment of OC. We tried to summarize results from experimental, epidemiological, and clinical studies unraveling the benefits of various phenolic acids (hydroxybenzoic acid and hydroxycinnamic acid) in chemoprevention and as anticancer agents of clinical significance.

Caffeic acid phenethyl ester alleviated hypouricemia in hyperuricemic mice through inhibiting XOD and up-regulating OAT3

BACKGROUND

Hyperuricemia is characterized with high serum uric acids (SUAs) and directly causes suffering gout. Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) is widely included in dietary plants and especially propolis of honey hives.

HYPOTHESIS/PURPOSE

Since CAPE exerts a property resembling a redox shuttle, the hypothesis is that it may suppress xanthine oxidase (XOD) and alleviate hyperuricemia. The aim is to unveil the hypouricemic effect of CAPE and the underlying mechanisms.

METHODS

By establishing a hyperuricemic model with potassium oxonate (PO) and hypoxanthine (HX) together, we investigated the hypouricecmic effect of CAPE. On this model, the expressions of key mRNAs and proteins, including glucose transporter 9 (GLUT9) and urate transporter 1 (URAT1), and the activity of XOD were assayed in vivo. Also, the inhibitory effect of CAPE against XOD was assayed in vitro through enzymatic activity tests and by molecular docking.

RESULTS

CAPE demonstrated a remarkable hypouricemic effect, which reduced the SUAs of hyperuricemic mice (401 ± 111 µmol/l) to 209 ± 56, 204 ± 65 and 154 ± 40 µmol/l (p < 0.01) at the doses of 15, 30 and 60 mg/kg respectively, depicting efficacies between 48 and 62% and approaching allopurinol's efficacy (52%). Serum parameters, body weights, inner organ coefficients, and H&E staining suggested that CAPE displayed no general toxicity and it alleviated the liver and kidney injuries caused by hyperuricemia. Mechanistically, CAPE decreased XOD activities significantly in vivo, presented an IC₅₀ at 214.57 µM in vitro and depicted a favorable binding to XOD in molecular simulation, indicating that inhibiting XOD may be an underlying mechanism of CAPE against hyperuricemia. CAPE did decreased GLUT9 protein and down-regulated URAT1 mRNA and protein. In addition, CAPE up-regulated ATP binding cassette subfamily G member 2 (ABCG2) and organic anion transporter 3 (OAT3) mRNA and proteins in comparison with that of the hyperuricemic control. All above, CAPE may alleviate hyperuricmia through inhibiting XOD, decreasing GLUT9 and URAT1 and increasing ABCG2 and OAT3.

CONCLUSION

CAPE presented potent hypouricemic effect in hyperuricemic mice through inhibiting XOD activity and up-regulating OAT3. CAPE may be a promising treatment against hyperuricemia.

Influence of the Bioactive Diet Components on the Gene Expression Regulation

Diet bioactive components, in the concept of nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics, consist of food constituents, which can transfer information from the external environment and influence gene expression in the cell and thus the function of the whole organism. It is crucial to regard food not only as the source of energy and basic nutriments, crucial for living and organism development, but also as the factor influencing health/disease, biochemical mechanisms, and activation of biochemical pathways. Bioactive components of the diet regulate gene expression through changes in the chromatin structure (including DNA methylation and histone modification), non-coding RNA, activation of transcription factors by signalling cascades, or direct ligand binding to the nuclear receptors. Analysis of interactions between diet components and human genome structure and gene activity is a modern approach that will help to better understand these relations and will allow designing dietary guidances, which can help maintain good health.

Caffeic acid and its derivatives as potential modulators of oncogenic molecular pathways: New hope in the fight against cancer

As a phenolic acid compound, caffeic acid (CA) can be isolated from different sources such as tea, wine and coffee. Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) is naturally occurring derivative of CA isolated from propolis. This medicinal plant is well-known due to its significant therapeutic impact including its effectiveness as hepatoprotective, neuroprotective and anti-diabetic agent. Among them, anti-tumor activity of CA has attracted much attention, and this potential has been confirmed both in vitro and in vivo. CA can induce apoptosis in cancer cells via enhancing ROS levels and impairing mitochondrial function. Molecular pathways such as PI3K/Akt and AMPK with role in cancer progression, are affected by CA and its derivatives in cancer therapy. CA is advantageous in reducing aggressive behavior of tumors via suppressing metastasis by inhibiting epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition mechanism. Noteworthy, CA and CAPE can promote response of cancer cells to chemotherapy, and sensitize them to chemotherapy-mediated cell death. In order to improve capacity of CA and CAPE in cancer suppression, it has been co-administered with other anti-tumor compounds such as gallic acid and p-coumaric acid. Due to its poor bioavailability, nanocarriers have been developed for enhancing its ability in cancer suppression. These issues have been discussed in the present review with a focus on molecular pathways to pave the way for rapid translation of CA for clinical use.

Recent progresses in the pharmacological activities of caffeic acid phenethyl ester

The past decades have seen a growing interest in natural products. Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), a flavonoid isolated from honeybee propolis, has shown multiple pharmacological potentials, including anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, and protective effects on nervous systems and multiple organs, since it was found as a potent nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) inhibitor. This review summarizes the advances in these beneficial effects of CAPE, as well as the underlying mechanisms, and proposes that CAPE offers an opportunity for developing therapeutics in multiple diseases. However, clinical trials on CAPE are necessary and encouraged to obtain certain clinically relevant conclusions.

Caffeic acid phenethyl ester, a coffee polyphenol, inhibits DNA methylation in vitro and in vivo

DNA methylation represents an important epigenetic regulation of the genome. Earlier studies have suggested that dietary phenolic compounds including those contained in coffee, tea and soy products may modulate the level of DNA methylation. In this study, we first characterize the effect of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) and other dietary phenolic compounds on DNA methylation in vitro. The IC₅₀ values of CAPE, daidzein, isorhamnetin and genistein are 7.6, 6.9, 6.2, and 4.3 μM, respectively, in an in-vitro enzymatic assay system. Computational analysis indicates that CAPE, daidzein, isorhamnetin and genistein can bind inside the DNA substrate-binding site in human DNMT1 with a favorable binding energy. In an animal study, we find that maternal CAPE treatment shifts the coat color distribution of the 21-day-old A^vy/a offspring towards the yellow phenotype, indicating that CAPE inhibits the methylation of the agouti gene promoter sequence in vivo. The results from this study may shed light on the potential epigenetic effect in the offspring resulting from maternal intake of certain coffee phenolics during pregnancy.

Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester (CAPE) Induced Apoptosis in Serous Ovarian Cancer OV7 Cells by Deregulation of BCL2/BAX Genes

Ovarian cancer has the worst prognosis among all gynecological cancers. Therefore, it seems reasonable to seek new drugs that may improve the effectiveness of treatment or mitigate the adverse effects of chemotherapy. Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) has many beneficial biological properties. The aim of the study was to assess the anticancer properties of CAPE against serum ovarian carcinoma cells. The morphology of the cells was evaluated in H-E staining and in transmission electron microscopy. The cytotoxic and proapoptotic activity of CAPE was investigated by using the XTT-NR-SRB assay, qRT-PCR analysis of BAX/BCL2 expression, and by cytometric evaluation. CAPE causes constriction in OV7 cells, numerous granulomas were observed in the cytoplasm, the cell nuclei were pyknotic. Autophagosomal vacuoles could suggest the occurrence of aponecrosis. CAPE significantly decreased the lysosomal activity and the total synthesis of cellular proteins. CAPE exhibited, dose and time dependent, cytotoxic activity against OV7 serum ovarian cancer cells. In OV7 cells CAPE induced apoptosis via dysregulation of BAX/BCL2 balance, while activated proapoptotic BAX gene expression level was 10 times higher than BCL2.

The effect of alcoholic extract from Eucalyptus camaldulensis leaves on HTLV-1 Tax activities

HTLV-1 is a human retrovirus responsible for adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) and certain other clinical disorders. The viral Tax oncoprotein plays a central role in HTLV-1 pathogenicity, mainly due to its capacity of inducing the transcriptional activity of various transcriptional factors like NFқB. Eucalyptus camaldulensis (Ec) is considered as a traditional medicinal plant with valuable therapeutic effects. Here we evaluated the activity of its ethanolic leave extract on different Tax activities by testing its influence on Tax-induced activity of NFқB and HTLV-1 LTR in Jurkat cells. Our results showed that Ec inhibited Tax induced activation of NFқB -, SRF- dependent promoters and HTLV-1 LTR. Ec extract has no effect on the binding of Tax to NFқB while it strongly prevented the degradation of IҝBα induced by Tax probably as a result of preventing the link between Tax and IKKγ. In addition, increasing the cellular level of P-TEFb-cyclinT1 significantly reduced the inhibitory effect of Ec on Tax activities, probably by preventing the interaction between Tax and P-TEFb-cyclin T1. The 40%-MeOH fraction of this extract, which is rich with polyphenols, offered the highest inhibitory effect against Tax activities. Further studies are required for the isolation and identification of active component/s in this extract which may be developed in the future as preventive/curing drugs for HTLV-1 related diseases.

Therapeutic Potential of Plant Phenolic Acids in the Treatment of Cancer

Globally, cancer is the second leading cause of death. Different conventional approaches to treat cancer include chemotherapy or radiotherapy. However, these are usually associated with various deleterious effects and numerous disadvantages in clinical practice. In addition, there are increasing concerns about drug resistance. In the continuous search for safer and more effective treatments, plant-derived natural compounds are of major interest. Plant phenolics are secondary metabolites that have gained importance as potential anti-cancer compounds. Phenolics display a great prospective as cytotoxic anti-cancer agents promoting apoptosis, reducing proliferation, and targeting various aspects of cancer (angiogenesis, growth and differentiation, and metastasis). Phenolic acids are a subclass of plant phenolics, furtherly divided into benzoic and cinnamic acids, that are associated with potent anticancer abilities in various in vitro and in vivo studies. Moreover, the therapeutic activities of phenolic acids are reinforced by their role as epigenetic regulators as well as supporters of adverse events or resistance associated with conventional anticancer therapy. Encapsulation of phyto-substances into nanocarrier systems is a challenging aspect concerning the efficiency of natural substances used in cancer treatment. A summary of phenolic acids and their effectiveness as well as phenolic-associated advances in cancer treatment will be discussed in this review.

Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE): pharmacodynamics and potential for therapeutic application

Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) is the major pharmacologically-active component of some propolis types, rich in polyphenols, such as poplar propolis types. CAPE has the potential to be applied as a pharmaceutical as it possesses most of the pharmacological activities of propolis, such as anti-proliferative, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial. Its advantage is that it lacks some of the downsides of total propolis extracts, such as inability for unified standardization, which is cornerstone for implementing its therapeutic potential as a drug. The current paper provides an overview on the pharmacodynamic principles of CAPE. We present literature search outcomes form ClinicalTrials.gov database and from scientific publications, available on Scopus and Crossref databases. We take a round view of CAPE’s potential therapeutic implications in light of approved drugs with related modes of action.