Table 1.
Molecular targets of pomegranate in cancers.
| Cancers | Molecular Mechanism(s)/Cellular Targets | References |
|---|---|---|
| Skin | Inhibits UVB-mediated activation of MAPK, NFκB and STAT3 signaling pathways | [25,26,27,28] |
| Inhibits UVA-mediated phosphorylation of STAT3, AKT, ERK1/2, mTOR and p70S6K Decreases UVA-mediated upregulation of PCNA and Ki-67 expression Up-regulates UVA-mediated Bax and Bad expression |
[29] | |
| Inhibits UVB-mediated decrease in GSH Inhibits UVB-mediated up-regulation of MMPs-1,-2,-7 and -9 |
[26] | |
| Inhibits UVB-induced DNA damage and NFκB activation | [30,31] | |
| Inhibits UVB-induced DNA damage Inhibits UVB-induced MMP-2 and -9 activities Decreases UVB-induced MMPs-2,-3,-9 expression Inhibits UVB-induced c-Jun phosphorylation and tropoelastin protein expression Reduces UVB-mediated PCNA, ODC and COX-2 expression Augments UVB-mediated increase in p53 and p21 expression |
[27,32,33] | |
| Inhibits TPA-mediated increase in epidermal ODC activity and COX-2 expression Inhibits TPA-induced MAPK phosphorylation and NFκB activation |
[34,35] | |
| Breast | Exhibits anti-estrogenic and anti-aromatase activities | [36] |
| Downregulates estrogen responsive genes | [37] | |
| Reduces VEGF and pro-inflammatory cytokines/chemokines | [38,39,40,41] | |
| Downregulates expression of genes involved in DNA damage response and repair | [42] | |
| Regulates TGF-β/Smads pathway | [43] | |
| Disrupts ER and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways | [44] | |
| Prostate | Decreases serum PSA levels | [45] |
| Inhibits STAT3 phosphorylation and NFκB activation | [46,47,48] | |
| Inhibits IGF-1/AKT/mTOR signaling | [49,50] | |
| Inhibits androgen biosynthesis enzymes such as 5α-reductase type I and 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type II | [51] | |
| Inhibits CYP1B enzyme activity/expression | [52] | |
| Lung | Increases p21 and p27 protein expression Downregulates cyclins/cdks, PCNA and Ki-67 expression Inhibits MAPK, PI3K/AKT and NFκB signaling pathways |
[53] |
| Inhibits DNA adduct formation | [54] | |
| Decreases markers of proliferation, inflammation and angiogenesis Inhibits phosphorylation of MAPK and c-Met |
[55,56,57] | |
| Decreases lipid peroxidation and increases total antioxidant capacity levels | [58] | |
| Colon | Inhibits COX-2 expression, AKT phosphorylation and NFκB DNA binding activity | [59] |
| Increases hepatic GST activity | [60] | |
| Modulates miR-646, miR-1249, miR-135b-5p, miR-135b-3p, miR-92b-5p, miR-765, miR-496, miR-181c-3p and miR-18a-3p | [61] |