Natural products as modulator of autophagy with potential clinical prospects

Apoptosis. 2017 Mar;22(3):325-356. doi: 10.1007/s10495-016-1335-1.

Abstract

Natural compounds derived from living organisms are well defined for their remarkable biological and pharmacological properties likely to be translated into clinical use. Therefore, delving into the mechanisms by which natural compounds protect against diverse diseases may be of great therapeutic benefits for medical practice. Autophagy, an intricate lysosome-dependent digestion process, with implications in a wide variety of pathophysiological settings, has attracted extensive attention over the past few decades. Hitherto, accumulating evidence has revealed that a large number of natural products are involved in autophagy modulation, either inducing or inhibiting autophagy, through multiple signaling pathways and transcriptional regulators. In this review, we summarize natural compounds regulating autophagy in multifarious diseases including cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic diseases, and immune diseases, hoping to inspire further investigation of the underlying mechanisms of natural compounds and to facilitate their clinical use for multiple human diseases.

Keywords: Autophagy; Disease; Drug therapy; Natural compounds.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Autophagy / drug effects*
  • Autophagy / physiology
  • Biological Products / chemistry
  • Biological Products / pharmacology*
  • Biological Products / therapeutic use
  • Cardiovascular Diseases / drug therapy
  • Cardiovascular Diseases / pathology
  • Drug Discovery*
  • Humans
  • Infections / drug therapy
  • Infections / pathology
  • Inflammation / drug therapy
  • Inflammation / pathology
  • Metabolic Diseases / drug therapy
  • Metabolic Diseases / pathology
  • Models, Biological
  • Molecular Structure
  • Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Neoplasms / pathology
  • Neurodegenerative Diseases / drug therapy
  • Neurodegenerative Diseases / pathology
  • Phytotherapy

Substances

  • Biological Products