Molecular targets of pomegranate (Punica granatum) in preventing cancer metastasis

Metastasis is the primary cause of mortality and morbidity among cancer patients and accounts for about 90% of cancer deaths. The most common types of treatment for cancer metastasis are chemotherapy and radiotherapy. However, such therapy has many serious side effects that could diminish the quality of life in patients. There is increased appreciation by the scientific community that natural compounds can be potential weapons in fighting against cancer. Interestingly, much evidence shows that pomegranate (Punica granatum) has great potential to inhibit tumor growth and metastasis. In this review, we discussed the molecular targets of pomegranate, specifically, those that are prerequisite for cancer metastasis. The search was performed in Google Scholar, Medline, Scopus, and PubMed using keywords such as metastasis, pomegranate, and signaling pathways. Some of the most important papers from the search results were included. Based on recent studies, some molecules, including those involved in cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix adhesions, are affected by pomegranate. The other targets of pomegranate are modulators of cytoskeleton dynamics and regulators of cancer cell anoikis and chemotaxis. Furthermore, the antimetastatic effect of pomegranate may be attributed to molecular changes of the extracellular matrix. Pro-inflammatory and pro-angiogenic molecules are the other targets of pomegranate regarding cancer metastasis. A wide variety of molecules can be targeted by pomegranate to suppress tumor metastasis. A better understanding of the molecules regulated by pomegranate is needed to provide a rational basis for its clinical application.