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Review
. 2022 Nov 10;14(22):5517.
doi: 10.3390/cancers14225517.

Agri-Food By-Products in Cancer: New Targets and Strategies

Carmela Sorrentino  1 , Martina Di Gisi  1 , Giulia Gentile  1 , Fabrizio Licitra  1 , Rosa D'Angiolo  1 , Pia Giovannelli  1 , Antimo Migliaccio  1 , Gabriella Castoria  1 , Marzia Di Donato  1
Affiliations
Review

Agri-Food By-Products in Cancer: New Targets and Strategies

Carmela Sorrentino et al. Cancers (Basel). .

Abstract

The globalization and the changes in consumer lifestyles are forcing us to face a deep transformation in food demand and in the organization of the entire food production system. In this new era, the food-loss and food-waste security nexus is relevant in the global debate and avoiding unsustainable waste in agri-food systems as well as the supply chain is a big challenge. "Food waste" is useful for the recovery of its valuable components, thus it can assume the connotation of a "food by-product". Sustainable utilization of agri-food waste by-products provides a great opportunity. Increasing evidence shows that agri-food by-products are a source of different bioactive molecules that lower the inflammatory state and, hence, the aggressiveness of several proliferative diseases. This review aims to summarize the effects of agri-food by-products derivatives, already recognized as promising therapeutics in human diseases, including different cancer types, such as breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer. Here, we examine products modulating or interfering in the signaling mediated by the epidermal growth factor receptor.

Keywords: EGFR; agri-food by-products; breast cancer; gastrointestinal cancer; phenolic compounds; prostate cancer.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Classification of polyphenols and chemical structures of some representative phenolic compounds (PhCs). Phenolic acids are nonflavonoid PhCs that give origin to different derivatives. The most abundant class of PhCs is represented by flavonoids, categorized into different subclasses (flavones (apigenin), isoflavones, flavanols (catechins), flavonols (quercitin), flavanones, anthocyanins, and proanthocyanidins). Structural differences distinguish the anthocianins and the stilbenes, which include compounds such as resveratrol. A small amount of PhCs is represented by lignans and chacones.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Depicts agri-food by-products and their derived molecules able to interfere with prostate, breast, and colon cancer.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The biological effects and the events modulated by the agri-food by-products derivatives in breast cancer.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The biological effects modulated by the agri-food by-products derived-natural compounds in prostate cancer.
Figure 5
Figure 5
The agri-food by-products derived from natural compounds exert the illustrated effects in colorectal cancer.
Figure 6
Figure 6
The putative mechanisms of action of agri-food by-products derivatives on EGFRs. Natural derivatives (e.g., flavonoids, phenolic acids, and phenols in (A–C) affect the EGFR signaling through different mechanisms. (A) They directly impair EGFR tyrosine autophosphorylation and its tyrosine kinase activity (TK) or indirectly affect EGFR dimerization by interfering in the cellular membrane bilayer fluidity. The membrane stiffness prevents EGFR diffusion and dimerization, with a negative effect on the TK resulting activation. (B) Polyphenols downregulate EGFR expression through protein ubiquitination and degradation. (C) By inhibiting EGFR-TK domain, natural compounds impair the EGF-induced PI3K/Akt and -MAPK signaling cascades. These effects halt cellular migration, proliferation, and EMT.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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