Abstract
Vinca alkaloids including vincristine, vinblastine, vindesine, and vinflunine are chemotherapeutic compounds commonly used to treat various cancers. Vinca alkaloids are one of the first microtubule-targeting agents to be produced and certified for the treatment of hematological and lymphatic neoplasms. Microtubule targeting agents like vincristine and vinblastine work by disrupting microtubule dynamics, causing mitotic arrest and cell death. The key issues facing vinca alkaloids applications include establishing an environment-friendly production technique based on microorganisms, as well as increasing bioavailability without causing harm to patient’s health. The low yield of these vinca alkaloids from the plant and the difficulty of meeting their huge colossal demand around the globe prompted researchers to create a variety of approaches. Endophytes could thus be selected to produce beneficial secondary metabolites required for the biosynthesis of vinca alkaloids. This review covers the significant aspects of these vital drugs, from their discovery to the present day, in a concise manner. In addition, we emphasize the major hurdles that must be overcome in the coming years to improve vinca alkaloid’s effectiveness.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the Prof. Prem Kumar Khosla, Chancellor, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India, and the School of Biotechnology here for providing the laboratory and technical facilities in the field of secondary metabolite production. All the structures have been adopted from PubChem, https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/, and modified for the creation of the images.
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Banyal, A., Tiwari, S., Sharma, A. et al. Vinca alkaloids as a potential cancer therapeutics: recent update and future challenges. 3 Biotech 13, 211 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13205-023-03636-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13205-023-03636-6