Phenethyl Isothiocyanate

Cranberries contain phytochemicals with potent antioxidant properties. Phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) is abundant in crucifers and possesses anti‐cancer and anti‐inflammatory properties. These food additives can alter gut microbiota and improve the host's health. Microbiome and microbial metabolome interactions with the host's cells help maintain gastrointestinal (GI) tract homeostasis. Cranberry and PEITC enriched diets were fed to wild‐type (WT) and Nrf2 knockout (KO) mice, including those challenged with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS), and their gut microbiomes and metabolomes were examined. Relative abundances of Deferribacteres , Epsilonbacteraeota , and Proteobacteria decreased, while Firmicutes and Verrucomicrobia increased in the DSS‐challenged mice samples. These trends were reversed by PEITC and cranberry enriched diets. The diets also preserved the Firmicutes ‐to‐ Bacteroidetes ratio, an endpoint associated with gut inflammation and obesity. DSS challenge altered production of several metabolites. Nrf2 KO mice samples had lower concentrations of short‐chain fatty acids (SCFA) and amino acids, and higher concentrations of secondary bile acids.Nrf2 KO mice microbiomes exhibited higher richness and diversity. PEITC and cranberry enriched diets positively affected hosts’ microbiomes and boosted several microbial metabolites. Phenotypic expression of Nrf2 impacted the microbiota and metabolic reprogramming induced by DSS‐mediated inflammation and dietary supplements of cranberry and PEITC.

Natural products obtained from medicinal and aromatic plants are increasingly recognized as promising anticancer agents due to their structural richness, including terpene and flavonoid molecules, which induce apoptosis and modulate gene expression. These compounds offer an alternative to conventional treatments, often costly, which face challenges such as multidrug resistance. This review aims to provide a promising alternative approach to effectively control cancer by consolidating significant findings in identifying natural products and anticancer agent development from medicinal and aromatic plants. It synthesizes the findings of a comprehensive search of academic databases, such as PubMed and Springer, prioritizing articles published in recognized peer-reviewed journals that address the bioprospecting of medicinal and aromatic plants as anticancer agents. The review addresses the anticancer activities of plant extracts and essential oils, which were selected for their relevance to chemoprevention and chemotherapy. Compounds successfully used in cancer therapy include Docetaxel (an antimitotic agent), Etoposide VP-16 (an antimitotic agent and topoisomerase II inhibitor), Topotecan (a topoisomerase I inhibitor), Thymoquinone (a Reactive Oxygen Species-ROS inducer), and Phenethyl isothiocyanate (with multiple mechanisms). The review highlights natural products such as Hinokitiol, Mahanine, Hesperetin, Borneol, Carvacrol, Eugenol, Epigallocatechin gallate, and Capsaicin for their demonstrated efficacy against multiple cancer types, including breast, cervical, gastric, colorectal, pancreatic, lung, prostate, and skin cancer. Finally, it highlights the need for continued bioprospecting studies to identify novel natural products that can be successfully used in modern chemoprevention and chemotherapy.Graphical Abstract