A groundbreaking review published in the May 2025 issue of Oncoscience uncovers the compelling chemopreventive potential harbored within native Brazilian plants against stomach cancer, a malignancy notorious for its high mortality rate and challenging early detection. Led by Iara Lopes Lemos and Mario Roberto Marostica Junior of the University of Campinas, this comprehensive analysis delves into 25 years of scientific research, synthesizing molecular and cellular insights into how the rich biodiversity of Brazil could be harnessed to confront this global health burden.
Stomach cancer ranks among the deadliest cancers worldwide, frequently diagnosed at late stages when therapeutic interventions become less effective. While genetic predisposition, Helicobacter pylori infection, and environmental factors are well understood contributors to its development, recent attention has shifted toward preventive strategies emphasizing diet and bioactive compounds. Polyphenols, flavonoids, and other phytochemicals obtained from fruits and vegetables have been extensively studied for their anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticarcinogenic properties. This review uniquely spotlights native Brazilian flora as a rich, yet underexplored, source of such compounds, advocating for a paradigm shift in the preventive oncological landscape.
The investigation highlights ten indigenous species with promising anticancer attributes, including açaí (Euterpe oleracea), cacao (Theobroma cacao), guava (Psidium guajava), pitanga (Eugenia uniflora), jambu (Acmella oleracea), and physalis (Physalis spp.). These plants have been observed to exhibit significant cytotoxic effects on gastric cancer cell lines, notably HGC-27 and SGC-7901, implicating various mechanisms such as apoptosis induction, cell cycle arrest, and inhibition of proliferative signaling pathways. The study underscores physalin compounds isolated from Physalis species that suppress expression of critical cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases implicated in cell cycle progression while activating caspase cascades to trigger programmed cell death.
At a molecular level, the review elucidates the multifaceted roles of natural phytochemicals in modulating key regulators of tumor growth and survival. For example, physalin B, as demonstrated by Fang et al. (2022), represses cyclin D1, cyclin D3, CDK4, CDK6, and cyclin E, thereby impeding cellular progression from the G1 phase to S phase. Concurrently, it enhances apoptotic machinery by elevating caspase-8, caspase-3, caspase-7, and PARP protein levels, leading to effective gastrointestinal tumor cell elimination. Another compound, physapubescin B, shown by Dai et al. (2020), suppresses STAT3 phosphorylation, disrupting transcription of oncogenic targets such as XIAP and c-Myc, and impairs inflammatory mediators like IL-11, thus illustrating a complex network of anticancer activity.
Inflammation and oxidative stress are pivotal drivers of gastric carcinogenesis, and the antioxidant properties of native Brazilian plant extracts potentially attenuate these pathological processes. Polyphenolic constituents quench reactive oxygen species and modulate inflammatory cytokines, creating a microenvironment less conducive to tumor initiation and progression. Such bioactivities suggest a chemopreventive role wherein regular dietary intake of these plants or their derivatives may significantly reduce stomach cancer incidence.
Despite these encouraging in vitro findings, the authors candidly discuss the limitations inherent in the current body of research. The overwhelming majority of studies focus on cellular models, offering mechanistic insights but lacking translational depth. Animal model investigations are sparse, and no clinical trials have thus far examined efficacy or safety in humans. This gap underscores the necessity for rigorous preclinical and clinical studies to validate these compounds’ therapeutic potential and bioavailability within physiological contexts.
Recognizing Brazil’s unparalleled botanical diversity, the review appeals to the scientific community to intensify interdisciplinary research, integrating ethnobotany, pharmacology, and molecular oncology. Advances in high-throughput screening, metabolomics, and bioinformatics present unparalleled opportunities to identify novel bioactive molecules, optimize extraction methods, and elucidate precise modes of action. Such endeavors could accelerate the transition from bench research to clinical application, fostering innovative, natural, and accessible approaches to stomach cancer prevention.
Moreover, the review advocates for sustainable exploration strategies respecting indigenous knowledge and biodiversity conservation. Collaborations with local communities could facilitate the ethical sourcing of plant materials, ensuring equitable benefit-sharing and cultural preservation while tapping into centuries-old traditional medicinal practices known for their efficacy and safety profiles.
The promising anticancer effects observed with the native Brazilian plants extend beyond single-target mechanisms, instead revealing complex interactions with cellular signaling networks. These multifactorial effects are particularly advantageous in tackling genetically heterogeneous tumors such as gastric cancer, which often develop resistance to conventional single-target therapies. Natural compounds with broad-spectrum bioactivity offer a strategic advantage, presenting opportunities for combination regimens aimed at synergistic tumor inhibition.
In conclusion, this review serves as a pivotal milestone accentuating the underestimated value of Brazil’s botanical wealth in addressing a critical oncological challenge. It calls for a concerted global effort to bridge the gap between preliminary laboratory evidence and real-world therapeutics. As scientists continue to unravel the intricate pharmacological tapestry woven by nature, native Brazilian plants emerge as promising candidates in the quest to mitigate the global burden of stomach cancer through chemoprevention, ultimately contributing to enhanced public health outcomes worldwide.
Subject of Research: Not applicable
Article Title: The chemopreventive effects of native Brazilian plants on stomach cancer: A review of the last 25 years
News Publication Date: 8-May-2025
Web References:
References:
- Fang et al. (2022). Study on physalin B effects on gastric cancer cell cycle and apoptosis.
- Dai et al. (2020). Effects of physapubescin B on STAT3 signaling in gastric cancer cells.
Image Credits: Copyright: © 2025 Lemos et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0).
