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Current Drug Metabolism

Editor-in-Chief

ISSN (Print): 1389-2002
ISSN (Online): 1875-5453

Review Article

Germacrone: A Potent Secondary Metabolite with Therapeutic Potential in Metabolic Diseases, Cancer and Viral Infections

Author(s): Ammara Riaz, Azhar Rasul*, Nazia Kanwal, Ghulam Hussain, Muhammad Ajmal Shah*, Iqra Sarfraz, Rubab Ishfaq, Rabia Batool, Fariha Rukhsar and Şevki Adem

Volume 21, Issue 14, 2020

Page: [1079 - 1090] Pages: 12

DOI: 10.2174/1389200221999200728144801

Price: $65

Abstract

Natural products, an infinite reserve of bioactive molecules, will continue to serve humans as an important source of therapeutic agents. Germacrone is a bioactive natural compound found in the traditional medicinal plants of family Zingiberaceae. This multifaceted chemical entity has become a point of focus during recent years due to its numerous pharmacological applications, e.g., anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antioxidant, anti-adipogenic, anti-androgenic, antimicrobial, insecticidal, and neuroprotective. Germacrone is an effective inducer of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in various cancers (breast, brain, liver, skin, prostate, gastric, and esophageal) via modulation of different cell signaling molecules and pathways involved in cancer proliferation. This is the first report highlighting the wide spectrum of pharmacological activities exhibited by germacrone. The reported data collected from various shreds of evidences recommend that this multifaceted compound could serve as a potential drug candidate in the near future.

Keywords: Germacrone, anticancer, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-adipogenic, neuroprotective, anti-androgenic.

Graphical Abstract


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