Abstract:
This review article focuses on the multifaceted roles of pectin in cancer management, namely as
an oncotherapeutic delivery vehicle and a pharmacological agent. Over the past decades, the
potential of pectin as a novel therapeutical agent for the prevention and/or management of
cancer has gained increasing interest. Pectin has been found to modulate different mechanisms
involved in the onset and progression of carcinogenesis, such as galectin-3 inhibition, caspase-3-
induced apoptosis, and autophagy. Elucidating the structure-activity relationship provides insight
into the relationship between the structure of pectin and different mechanism/s. The bioactivity
of pectin, with respect to its structure, was critically discussed to give a better insight of the
relationship between the structure of the extracted pectin and the observed bioactive effects. The
rhamnogalacturonan I part of the pectin chain was found to bind to galectin-3, associated with
several cancer hallmarks. The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potential of pectin were also
described. The roles of pectin as a treatment enhancer and a drug delivery vehicle for oncotherapeutics
were critically defined. The scientific findings presented in this paper are expected to
highlight the potential and role of pectin recovered from various plant sources in preventing and
managing cancer.
Description:
The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests:
Carene Picot-Allain reports financial support was provided by Carnegie Corporation of New York through the Early Career
Research Leader Fellowship Program at Future Africa, University of Pretoria. Carene PicotAllain reports financial support was provided
by Capacity building competitive grant Training the Next Generation of Scientists for Africa provided by Carnegie Corporation of
New York through the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT : We acknowledge the support provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York through the Early Career Research Leader
Fellowship Program at Future Africa, University of Pretoria. Support for this research was made possible through a capacity building
competitive grant Training the Next Generation of Scientists for Africa provided by Carnegie Corporation of New York through the
Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM).
