Table 1.

The ROS scavenging strategies in cancer control

Categories	Drug names	Mechanism	ROS	Effects	Tumors	References
Vitamins	Ascorbic Acid (Oral vitamin C, low concentration)	ROS neutralization, antioxidant activation, and antioxidant gene expression upregulation	Decrease	No impact	Colorectal cancer, stomach cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, and pancreatic cancer	[258]
				No impact	Lung cancer, liver cancer	[259]
				No impact	Breast cancer	[260]
				Pro-tumor	Lung cancer	[149]
	Ascorbic Acid (Intravenous Vitamin C, high concentration)	Metal-catalyzed free radical generation	Increase	Anti-tumor	Mouse liver cancer, human bladder cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, liver cancer, endometrial adenocarcinoma	[261]
					Moue ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer, glioblastoma	[256]
					Human lymphoma, breast cancer, lung cancer, kidney cancer; mouse lung cancer, kidney cancer, colon cancer, melanoma	[262]
					Prostate cancer	[252]
					Pancreatic cancer	[254, 255, 263] NCT02905578
					Bladder cancer	NCT04046094
					Melanoma	[264]
					Multiple myeloma	[265]
	Vitamins A	Antioxidant gene expression upregulation, ROS neutralization	Decrease	No benefit	Lung cancer	[266]
				Pro-tumor	Non-melanoma skin cancer	[267]
				Anti-tumor	Breast caner	[268]
					Head and neck cancer, lung cancer	[269]
	Vitamins E	ROS neutralization	Decrease	Pro-tumor	Lung Cancer	[270]
				No benefit	Bladder, Breast, Colorectal, Esophagus, Lung, Oral and Pharynx, Ovarian, Pancreatic, Prostate, And Kidney Cancer	[271]
					Prostate Cancer	[272]
			Increase	Anti-tumor	Breast cancer	[273]
Carotenoids	Astaxanthin	Electron donation for free radical neutralization​	Decrease	Anti-tumor	nervous system, breast, and gastrointestinal cancers	[274]
	Lutein	ROS neutralization	Decrease	Anti-tumor	lung cancer and late age-related macular degeneration breast cancer	[275] [276]
	Lycopene	ROS neutralization	Decrease	Anti-tumor	Prostate, gastric, colorectal cancer	[277–279]
Polyphenols		ROS neutralization, ROS-producing enzyme inhibition, metal ions chelation, and NRF2 activation	Decrease	Anti-tumor	Pancreatic Cancer	[280]
	EGCG		Decrease	Anti-tumor	Lung cancer	[281, 282]
					Fibrosarcoma	[283–285]
	Hesperidin				Lung cancer	[286]
	Naringenin				Lung cancer	[287]
	Luteolin				Bladder cancer	[288]
					Colon cancer	[289]
					Lung cancer	[290]
	Apigenin				B-cell lymphoma	[291]
	Anthocyanins	Labile aroxyl radical formation​, NOX activation, mitochondria destruction, GSH depletion	Increase	Anti-tumor	B cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia	[292]
					Colon cancer	[293]
	Emodin				Lung cancer	[294]
	Gingerol				Human glioblastoma	[295]
	Isoliquiritigenin				Cervical cancer	[296]
	EGCG				Colon cancer	[297]
	Hesperetin				Breast cancer	[298]
	Quercetin				Colon cancer	[299]
					Liver cancer	[300]
	Isoflavone daidzein				Breast cancer	[301]
	7,3′,4′-trihydroxyisoflavone				Cervical cancer	[302]
	Chlorogenic acid				Bcr-Abl(+) chronic myeloid leukemia	[303]
	Oligomeric proanthocyanidins				Ovarian cancer	[304]
	Hydroxychavicol				Prostate cancer	[305]
	Curcumin				Colon cancer	[306]
	Hydroxytyrosol				Prostate cancer	[307]
					Colon cancer	[308]
	Resveratrol				Lymphoma	[309]
GSH supplements	NAC	GSH generation	Decrease	Anti-tumor	Lung cancer	[310, 311]
					Triple-negative breast cancer	[312]
				Pro-tumor	Lung cancer	[270]
					Melanoma	[313]
Benzoquinones	MitoQ	Mitochondria targeting	Decrease	Anti-tumor	Breast and pancreatic cancer	[314]
			Decrease	No benefit	Melanoma and lung cancer	[315]
	SkQ1		Decrease	Anti-tumor	Fibrosarcoma and rhabdomyosarcoma	[316]
			NA	No benefit	Pancreatic cancer	[317]
NOX family Inhibitors	DPI	FAD complexation​	Decrease	Anti-tumor	Epithelial ovarian cancer	[318]
					Colon cancer	[319]
	GKT136901/GKT137831	NOX1,2,4,5 inhibiton	Decrease	Anti-tumor	Mouse melanoma, lewis lung cancer	[320]
		Unclear	Increase	Anti-tumor	Acute myeloid leukemia	[321]
SOD Mimics	MnP	H2O2 generation	Decrease	Anti-tumor	Breast cancer	[322]
					Clear-cell renal carcinoma	[323]
NRF2 Activators	NDGA	ROS-damaged phenylalanine scavenging	Decrease	NA	Glioblastoma	[324]
		GPx and GR activity improvement	Decrease	Anti-tumor	Skin cancer	[325]
	Enzastaurin	GSK-3 phosphorylation inhibition	NA	Anti-tumor	Colon cancer and glioblastoma	[326]
	Poly-Nitroxide Albumin	H2O2 generation	Decrease	Anti-tumor	Triple negative breast cancer	[327]
	Omaveloxolone (RTA 408)	KEAP1-binding-mediated NRF2 stabilization​	Decrease	Anti-tumor	Squamous cell carcinomas	[328]
	DMF	Alkylation of KEAP1 cysteine residues and nuclear export of BACH1	Decrease	Anti-tumor	Pancreatic carcinoma Primary effusion lymphoma	[329] [330]
AQP3 Inhibitors	Auphen-derived organogold compounds	H2O2 influx reduction, intracellular ROS accumulation	Decrease	Anti-tumor	Melanoma	[331]
AQP7 Inhibitors	Z433927330	Endofacial AQP7 binding​	Decrease	Anti-tumor	Acute promyelocytic leukemia	[332]
AQP1 Inhibitors	AqB011	Intracellular loop D of AQP1 binding	Decrease	Anti-tumor	Colon cancer	[333]
	bacopaside II	Cell cycle arrest and apoptosis induction	Decrease	Anti-tumor	Colon cancer	[334]

ROS reactive oxygen species, EGCG epigallocatechin gallate, NRF2 nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2, KEAP1 Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1, NOX NADPH-oxidase, GSH glutathione, NAC N-acetylcysteine, DPI diphenyleneiodonium, FAD flavin adenine dinucleotide, MnP Mn porphyrin, SOD superoxide dismutase, NDGA nordihydroguaiaretic acid, DMF dimethyl fumarate, AQP aquaporin