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Being the first or second cause of death worldwide, cancer represents the most significant clinical, social, and financial burden of any human illness. Despite recent progresses in cancer diagnosis and management, traditional cancer chemotherapies have shown several adverse side effects and loss of potency due to increased resistance. As a result, one of the current approaches is on with the search of bioactive anticancer compounds from natural sources. Neopeltolide is a marine-derived macrolide isolated from deep-water sponges collected off Jamaica's north coast. Its mechanism of action is still under research but represents a potentially promising novel drug for cancer therapy. In this review, we first illustrate the general structural characterization of neopeltolide, the semi-synthetic derivatives, and current medical applications. In addition, we reviewed its anticancer properties, primarily based on in vitro studies, and the possible clinical trials. Finally, we summarize the recent progress in the mechanism of antitumor action of neopeltolide. According to the information presented, we identified two principal challenges in the research, i) the effective dose which acts neopeltolide as an anticancer compound, and ii) to unequivocally establish the mechanism of action by which the compound exerts its antiproliferative effect., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Peña-Corona, Hernández-Parra, Bernal-Chávez, Mendoza-Muñoz, Romero-Montero, Del Prado-Audelo, Cortés, Ateşşahin, Habtemariam, Almarhoon, Abdull Razis, Modu, Sharifi-Rad and Leyva-Gómez.)

Alternariol is a toxic metabolite of Alternaria fungi and studies have shown multiple potential pharmacological effects. To outline the anticancer effects and mechanisms of alternariol and its derivatives based on database reports, an updated search of PubMed/MedLine, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Scopus databases was performed with relevant keywords for published articles. The studies found to suggest that this mycotoxin and/or its derivatives have potential anticancer effects in many pharmacological preclinical test systems. Scientific reports indicate that alternariol and/or its derivatives exhibit anticancer through several pathways, including cytotoxic, reactive oxygen species leading to oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction-linked cytotoxic effect, anti-inflammatory, cell cycle arrest, apoptotic cell death, genotoxic and mutagenic, anti-proliferative, autophagy, and estrogenic and clastogenic mechanisms. In light of these results, alternariol may be one of the hopeful chemotherapeutic agents., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Islam, Martorell, González-Contreras, Villagran, Mardones, Tynybekov, Docea, Abdull Razis, Modu, Calina and Sharifi-Rad.)

Momordica species (Family Cucurbitaceae) are cultivated throughout the world for their edible fruits, leaves, shoots and seeds. Among the species of the genus Momordica, there are three selected species that are used as vegetable, and for medicinal purposes, Momordica charantia L (Bitter melon), Momordica foetida Schumach (Bitter cucumber) and Momordica balsamina L (African pumpkin). The fruits and leaves of these Momordica species are rich in primary and secondary metabolites such as proteins, fibers, minerals (calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc), β -carotene, foliate, ascorbic acid, among others. The extracts from Momordica species are used for the treatment of a variety of diseases and ailments in traditional medicine. Momordica species extracts are reputed to possess anti-diabetic, anti-microbial, anthelmintic bioactivity, abortifacient, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and play chemo-preventive functions. In this review we summarize the biochemical, nutritional, and medicinal values of three Momordica species ( M. charantia , M. foetida and M. balsamina ) as promising and innovative sources of natural bioactive compounds for future pharmaceutical usage., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Muronga, Quispe, Tshikhudo, Msagati, Mudau, Martorell, Salehi, Abdull Razis, Sunusi, Kamal and Sharifi-Rad.)

Nigella is a small genus of the family Ranunculaceae, which includes some popular species due to their culinary and medicinal properties, especially in Eastern Europe, Middle East, Western, and Central Asia. Therefore, this review covers the traditional uses and phytochemical composition of Nigella and, in particular, Nigella sativa . The pharmacological studies reported in vitro , in vivo, and in humans have also been reviewed. One of the main strength of the use of Nigella is that the seeds are rich in the omega-6 fatty acid linoleic acid and provide an extra-source of dietary phytochemicals, including the bioactive thymoquinone, and characteristics saponins, alkaloids, and flavonoids. Among Nigella species, N . sativa L. is the most studied plant from the genus. Due to the phytochemical composition and pharmacological properties, the seed and seed oil from this plant can be considered as good candidates to formulate functional ingredients on the basis of folklore and scientific knowledge. Nonetheless, the main limations are that more studies, especially, clinical trials are required to standardize the results, e.g. to establish active molecules, dosage, chemical profile, long-term effects and impact of cooking/incorporation into foods., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Salehi, Quispe, Imran, Ul-Haq, Živković, Abu-Reidah, Sen, Taheri, Acharya, Azadi, del Mar Contreras, Segura-Carretero, Mnayer, Sethi, Martorell, Abdull Razis, Sunusi, Kamal, Rasul Suleria and Sharifi-Rad.)