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Anticancer activity of thymol: A literature‐based review and docking study with Emphasis on its anticancer mechanisms
Author(s) -
Islam Muhammad T.,
Khalipha Abul B. R.,
Bagchi Rajat,
Mondal Milon,
Smrity Shanita Z.,
Uddin Shaikh J.,
Shilpi Jamil A.,
Rouf Razina
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
iubmb life
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.132
H-Index - 113
eISSN - 1521-6551
pISSN - 1521-6543
DOI - 10.1002/iub.1935
Subject(s) - thymol , docking (animal) , genotoxicity , chemistry , in silico , pharmacology , biochemistry , biology , medicine , toxicity , food science , nursing , organic chemistry , essential oil , gene
Abstract This review aims to summarize the anticancer effects of the natural monoterpene phenol derivative of cymenethymol and its derivatives as well as further molecular docking study to correlate the interaction of thymol and biomacromolecules that involved in cancer cell growth. For this, an up‐to‐date (till July 2018) literature study were made through using PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, Scopus, The American Chemical Society, Clinicaltrials.gov , and Google Scholar databases. Literature study demonstrated that thymol, melasolv (3,4,5‐Trimethoxycinnamate thymol ester), and Mannich bases of thymol have potential anticancer effects in various test systems, including mice, rats and cultured cancer cells through various anticancer pathways such as antioxidant/oxidative stress induction, apoptosis, anti‐inflammatory/immunomodulatory, anti‐genotoxicity, chemo‐, and radiopreventive ways. A few earlier scientific evidences showed that thymol is less toxic to mammalian systems. In silico study of thymol and its derivatives against 17 essential proteins revealed that 6BVH (PARP‐1) and 5LIH (protein kinase C) are the most efficient receptor protein for interaction and binding of thymol and melaslov for the cancer prevention and initiation. On the basis of the summary of this review and docking study, it is evident that thymol may be one of promising plant‐derived cancer chemotherapeutic agents. © 2018 IUBMB Life, 71(1):9–19, 2019