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

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

Volume: 21 Issue: 14

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

Affiliation:

• Department of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Government College University, Faisalabad 38000,Pakistan

• Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Government College University, Faisalabad 38000,Pakistan

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

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.

Cite this article as:

Riaz Ammara , Rasul Azhar *, Kanwal Nazia , Hussain Ghulam , Shah Ajmal Muhammad*, Sarfraz Iqra , Ishfaq Rubab , Batool Rabia , Rukhsar Fariha and Adem Şevki , Germacrone: A Potent Secondary Metabolite with Therapeutic Potential in Metabolic Diseases, Cancer and Viral Infections, Current Drug Metabolism 2020; 21 (14) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1389200221999200728144801