Cancer is the second-highest mortality rate disease worldwide, and it has been estimated that cancer will increase by up to 20 million cases yearly by 2030. There are various options of treatment for cancer, including surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. All of these options have damaging adverse effects that can reduce the patient’s quality of life. Cancer itself arises from a series of mutations in normal cells that generate the ability to divide uncontrollably. This cell mutation can happen as a result of DNA damage induced by the high concentration of ROS in normal cells. High levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) can cause oxidative stress, which can initiate cancer cell proliferation. On the other hand, the cytotoxic effect from elevated ROS levels can be utilized as anticancer therapy. Some bioactive compounds from natural foods such as fruit, vegetables, herbs, honey, and many more have been identified as a promising source of natural antioxidants that can prevent oxidative stress by regulating the level of ROS in the body. In this review, we have highlighted and discussed the benefits of various natural antioxidant compounds from natural foods that can regulate reactive oxygen species through various pathways.

Alpha mangostin (AM), the main xanthone derivative contained in mangosteen pericarp (Garcinia mangostana/GM), has many pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, antiproliferation, antiinflammatory, and anticancer. Several general toxicity studies of AM have been previously reported to assess the safety profile of AM. Toxicity studies were carried out by various methods such as on test animals, interventions, and various routes of administration, but the test results have not been well documented. Our study aimed to systematically summarizes research on the safety profile of GM containing AM through general toxicity tests to get the LD₅₀ and NOAEL values, and so, can be used as a database related to AM toxicity profiles. This could facilitate other researchers in determining further development of GM-or-AM-based products. Pubmed, Google scholar, ScienceDirect, and EBSCO were chosen to collect the articles while ARRIVE 2.0 was used to evaluate the quality and risk-of-bias of the in vivo toxicity studies included in this systematic review. A total of 20 articles met the eligibility criteria and were reviewed to predict the LD₅₀ and NOAEL of AM. The results showed that the LD₅₀ of AM is between >15.480 mg/kgBW to ≤6000 mg/kgBW while the NOAEL value is between <100 and ≤2000 mg/kgBW.

Natural compounds provide precursors with various pharmacological activities and play an important role in discovering new chemical entities, including radiopharmaceuticals. In the development of new radiopharmaceuticals, iodine radioisotopes are widely used and interact with complex compounds including natural products. However, the development of radiopharmaceuticals from natural compounds with iodine radioisotopes has not been widely explored. This review summarizes the development of radiopharmaceuticals from natural compounds using iodine radioisotopes in the last 10 years, as well as discusses the challenges and strategies to improve future discovery of radiopharmaceuticals from natural resources. Literature research was conducted via PubMed, from which 32 research articles related to the development of natural compounds labeled with iodine radioisotopes were reported. From the literature, the challenges in developing radiopharmaceuticals from natural compounds were the purity and biodistribution. Despite the challenges, the development of radiopharmaceuticals from natural compounds is a golden opportunity for nuclear medicine advancement.

Breast cancer remains a major disease burden and a leading cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality among women, while current therapies are often limited by toxicity, drug resistance, and recurrence. α-Mangostin (AM), a prenylated xanthone derived from Garcinia mangostana L., has attracted considerable interest because of its antioxidant, redox-modulating, and anticancer properties, which may contribute to improved health outcomes and patient well-being. This study systematically reviewed the therapeutic potential of AM against breast cancer based on evidence from in silico, in vitro, and in vivo studies focusing on biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. Relevant articles were retrieved from the Scopus and PubMed databases using predefined keywords and selection criteria. Eligible studies were extracted, categorized, and analyzed using Microsoft Word and EndNote to assess the pharmacological actions, target interactions, delivery systems, and therapeutic outcomes associated with AM, while the quality of animal studies was assessed using the ARRIVE guidelines. Twenty-nine studies met the inclusion criteria. Computational studies demonstrated favorable AM interactions with ERα, STAT3, RXRα, CXCR4, AKT1, CTNNB1, and HSP90AA1. In vitro studies showed that AM inhibited cancer cell viability, induced apoptosis and autophagy, modulated reactive oxygen species, and suppressed metastatic and immune-evasion markers. Furthermore, nano-formulations, radiolabeled derivatives, and combination approaches improved bioavailability, tumor targeting, and efficacy. In vivo studies reported inhibition of tumor-growth and metastasis, improved pharmacokinetic profiles, and prolonged survival. However, no clinical trials evaluating AM in breast cancer patients have been reported to date. Overall, AM represents a promising preclinical candidate for breast cancer treatment. Nevertheless, standardized pharmacokinetic, toxicological, and efficacy studies, followed by well-designed clinical trials, are essential to facilitate its translation into clinical practice.