Abstract:

Conventional chemotherapeutic agents are often toxic not only to tumor cells, but also to normal cells,
limiting their therapeutic efficiency in clinical application. Novel natural anticancer compounds present an attractive
alternative to synthetic compounds, based on their favorable safety and efficacy profiles. Pre-clinical and clinical
studies have demonstrated that several representative natural compounds such as resveratrol, curcumin, and
ginsenosides have anticancer potential. In this review, we summarize how natural compounds target autophagy to
lead to cell death. We also discuss some involved core autophagic pathways. Recent advances in the discovery and
evaluation of natural compounds as anticancer agents support future pre-clinical and clinical development of these
agents for the treatment of primary and metastatic tumors.

Key words: resveratrol, curcumin, ginsenosides, autophagy, cancer