ReviewMolecules (Basel, Switzerland)2025
Plant Alkaloids as Promising Anticancer Compounds with Blood-Brain Barrier Penetration in the Treatment of Glioblastoma: In Vitro and In Vivo Models.
Review in Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Optimization of the Extraction of Bioactive Compounds and Metabolomic Profile ofPlants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Microtubule-Targeting Agents: Advances in Tubulin Binding and Small Molecule Therapy for Gliomas and Neurodegenerative Diseases.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most invasive central nervous system tumors, with rising global incidence. Therapy resistance and poor prognosis highlight the urgent need for new anticancer drugs. Plant alkaloids, a largely unexplored yet promising class of compounds, have previously contributed to oncology treatments. While past reviews provided selective insights, this review aims to collectively compare data from the last decade on (1) plant alkaloid-based anticancer drugs, (2) alkaloid transport across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in vitro and in vivo, (3) alkaloid mechanisms of action in glioblastoma models (in vitro, in vivo, ex vivo, and in silico), and (4) cytotoxicity and safety profiles. Additionally, innovative drug delivery systems (e.g., nanoparticles and liposomes) are discussed. Focusing on preclinical studies of single plant alkaloids, this review includes 22 botanical families and 28 alkaloids that demonstrated anti-GBM activity. Most alkaloids act in a concentration-dependent manner by (1) reducing glioma cell viability, (2) suppressing proliferation, (3) inhibiting migration and invasion, (4) inducing cell death, (5) downregulating Bcl-2 and key signaling pathways, (6) exhibiting antiangiogenic effects, (7) reducing tumor weight, and (8) improving survival rates. The toxic and adverse effect analysis suggests that alkaloids such as noscapine, lycorine, capsaicin, chelerythrine, caffeine, boldine, and colchicine show favorable therapeutic potential. However, tetrandrine, nitidine, harmine, harmaline, cyclopamine, cocaine, and brucine may pose greater risks than benefits. Piperine's toxicity and berberine's poor bioavailability suggest the need for novel drug formulations. Several alkaloids (kukoamine A, cyclovirobuxine D, α-solanine, oxymatrine, rutaecarpine, and evodiamine) require further pharmacological and toxicological evaluation. Overall, while plant alkaloids show promise in glioblastoma therapy, progress in assessing their BBB penetration remains limited. More comprehensive studies integrating glioma research and advanced drug delivery technologies are needed.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.