REVIEW article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Gastrointestinal and Hepatic Pharmacology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1658493
Mechanisms and advantages of natural derived small molecule compounds in the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer: A review
Provisionally accepted
- Shenzhen Bao'an Authentic Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapy Hospital, Shenzhen, China
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Globally, colorectal cancer (CRC) ranked third in cancer prevalence and emerged as the primary contributor to cancer-related fatalities in 2022, with projections indicating substantial escalation by 2040. The malignant progression of healthy colonic cells involves complex interactions among multiple cellular pathways over extended periods (typically exceeding ten years), influenced by dietary patterns, lifestyle factors, and genetic predispositions. In addition, marked disparities in CRC incidence and mortality appear to show large differences across geographic regions, demographic groups, and biological sexes, suggesting that there are traces of CRC. Therefore, timely intervention or regression of the development of CRC, particularly targeting high-risk populations, may be an excellent strategy to reduce CRC burden in forthcoming decades. Natural derived small molecule compounds (NDSMCs) exhibit significant advantages, including structural diversity, unique biological activities, low toxicity and multi-target effects. Increasing evidence suggests that NDSMCs demonstrate therapeutic potential against CRC through multi-target mechanisms, such as modulation of gut microbiota, induction of ferroptosis, and regulation of programmed cell death pathways (apoptosis/autophagy), thereby offering promising avenues for CRC treatment. However, comprehensive reviews in this field remain scarce. Consequently, this study systematically summarizes the research advancements over the past five years regarding the mechanisms of NDSMCs in combating CRC, aiming to provide valuable insights for therapeutic strategies, preventive measures, and novel drug development. Furthermore, the clinical progress and limitations of certain NDSMCs in CRC treatment are also discussed.
Keywords: colorectal cancer, Natural derived small molecule compounds, mechanism of action, Gut Microbiota, ferroptosis, Apoptosis, Autophagy
Received: 02 Jul 2025; Accepted: 25 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Liao, Dong, Chen, Li and Li. 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: Guo feng Li, Shenzhen Bao'an Authentic Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapy Hospital, Shenzhen, China
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