Chemopreventive Properties of Sandalwood Derivatives in Oncology
Summary
Sandalwood heartwood yields a rich essential oil predominantly composed of sesquiterpenoids, of which α-santalol and β-santalol have attracted attention for their potential in cancer prevention and therapy. These compounds exhibit multiple mechanisms relevant to chemoprevention: antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity that may attenuate the initiation phase of carcinogenesis; modulation of cell-cycle regulators leading to G2/M phase arrest; induction of apoptosis through both intrinsic and extrinsic pathways; and interference with microtubule dynamics impairing mitotic progression. Preclinical evidence demonstrates selective toxicity against tumour cells with minimal effects on normal counterparts, supporting the safety profile of sandalwood derivatives. Advances in formulation, including nanoencapsulation, enhance bioavailability and target delivery. Global interest spans breast, skin and other epithelial malignancies, underscoring the translational value of these natural products. Future work aims to integrate sandalwood derivatives into adjuvant regimens and to standardise extract composition for consistent chemopreventive efficacy.
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Chemopreventive Properties of Sandalwood Derivatives in Oncology publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in chemopreventive properties of sandalwood derivatives in oncology across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Chemoprevention: Use of natural or synthetic agents to inhibit, delay or reverse carcinogenesis.
α-Santalol: A sesquiterpenoid alcohol derived from sandalwood oil with reported antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic effects.
G2/M phase arrest: Blockade of cell-cycle progression at the transition from DNA synthesis (G2) to mitosis (M), preventing cell division.
Apoptosis: Programmed cell death characterised by caspase activation, DNA fragmentation and membrane blebbing.
Microtubule assembly: Polymerisation of tubulin proteins to form mitotic spindle fibres; disruption impairs chromosome segregation.
References
- Cytotoxicity and Genotoxicity Assessment of Sandalwood Essential Oil in Human Breast Cell Lines MCF‐7 and MCF‐10A. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (2016).
- Antineoplastic Effects of α-Santalol on Estrogen Receptor-Positive and Estrogen Receptor-Negative Breast Cancer Cells through Cell Cycle Arrest at G2/M Phase and Induction of Apoptosis. PLOS ONE (2013).
- Alpha-santalol, a chemopreventive agent against skin cancer, causes G2/M cell cycle arrest in both p53-mutated human epidermoid carcinoma A431 cells and p53 wild-type human melanoma UACC-62 cells. BMC Research Notes (2010).
- A Comparison of the Composition of Selected Commercial Sandalwood Oils with the International Standard. Molecules (2021).
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