Sesquiterpenes and Asteraceae Studies

Sesquiterpene lactones are a class of plant-derived compounds, found abundantly in the Asteraceae family, that have drawn sustained scientific attention for their potent effects on human cell biology — particularly their ability to trigger apoptosis in cancer cells and suppress chronic inflammation by blocking the transcription factor NF-κB. Research in this area maps the structural chemistry of these molecules to their pharmacological behavior, asking how small variations in molecular architecture translate into large differences in biological potency or selectivity. Compounds like thapsigargin have advanced into clinical investigation as cancer therapeutics, demonstrating that traditional medicinal plants can yield mechanistically precise drug candidates rather than merely broad-spectrum remedies. Central open questions include how to improve the therapeutic window of these often reactive molecules, and how their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities intersect with — or complicate — their cytotoxic effects in tumor versus healthy tissue.

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80,678

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254,615

Keywords

Sesquiterpene LactonesCancerApoptosisAnti-inflammatoryNF-?BPharmacology