Putting the Brakes on Tumorigenesis with Natural Products of Plant Origin: Insights into the Molecular Mechanisms of Actions and Immune Targets for Bladder Cancer Treatment

Abstract

Bladder cancer is the 10th most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide. Although the incidence in men is 4 times higher than that in women, the diagnoses are worse for women. Over the past 30 years, the treatment for bladder cancer has not achieved a significant positive effect, and the outlook for mortality rates due to muscle-invasive bladder cancer and metastatic disease is not optimistic. Phytochemicals found in plants and their derivatives present promising possibilities for cancer therapy with improved treatment effects and reduced toxicity. In this study, we summarize the promising natural products of plant origin with anti-bladder cancer potential, and their anticancer mechanisms—especially apoptotic induction—are discussed. With the developments in immunotherapy, small-molecule targeted immunotherapy has been promoted as a satisfactory approach, and the discovery of novel small molecules against immune targets for bladder cancer treatment from products of plant origin represents a promising avenue of research. It is our hope that this could pave the way for new ideas in the fields of oncology, immunology, phytochemistry, and cell biology, utilizing natural products of plant origin as promising drugs for bladder cancer treatment.