REVIEW article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Ethnopharmacology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1631232
This article is part of the Research TopicExploring Herbal Innovations: New Frontiers in Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals DevelopmentView all 4 articles
Plant Metabolites and Functional Foods in Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Supportive Strategy for Management
Provisionally accepted
Pritya Jha1
Varisha Anjum2*
Ahmed Adnan AL-Khafagi3Sweta Joshi4
Ammar Kadi2
Areefa Anjum5
Kamran Javed Naquvi6Irina Potoroko2- 1Department of Pharmacy, Banasthali Vidyapeeth, Banasthali, Rajasthan, India
- 2Department of Food and Biotechnology, South Ural State University, Cheylabinsk, Russia
- 3Anesthesia Techniques Department, College of Health and Medical Techniques, Al-Mustaqbal University,, Babylon,, Iraq
- 4Department of Food Technology, School of Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Jamia HamdardNew, New Delhi, India
- 5Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences (CRIBSC), Jamia Millia Islamia,, New Delhi, India
- 6Pharmacy Department, Tishk International University,, Erbil, Iraq
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Breast cancer (BC) remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide, with metastatic and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtypes presenting particular therapeutic challenges. This review critically explores the potential supportive role of plant-derived bioactive compounds present in functional foods and nutraceuticals in modulating cancer-related biological pathways. Metabolites such as flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, and polyphenols have demonstrated anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and pro-apoptotic effects in preclinical in vitro and in vivo studies. Specific compounds such as epiberberine, crocin, evodiamine, and extracts from Halodule uninervis have shown promising effects in limiting cancer cell invasion, proliferation, and angiogenesis. Advances in delivery technologies, including nanoformulations, may further enhance their bioavailability and targeted action. However, these findings are predominantly based on preclinical data, and rigorous in vivo validation and clinical trials are required to assess their translational potential. This review outlines emerging research directions and discusses how plant-derived compounds may contribute to integrated, evidence-based strategies for cancer care, particularly as adjuncts to conventional therapies rather than standalone treatments.
Keywords: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), Flavonoids, Inflammation, Oxidative Stress, Epiberberine, Evodiamine, Apoptosis, metastatic breast cancer
Received: 19 May 2025; Accepted: 14 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Jha, Anjum, AL-Khafagi, Joshi, Kadi, Anjum, Naquvi and Potoroko. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Varisha Anjum, Department of Food and Biotechnology, South Ural State University, Cheylabinsk, Russia
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.