Hussain MS, Rana AJ, Ashique S, Jakhmola V, Gupta G. Rosmarinic acid as a targeted modulator of NF-κB signaling in colorectal cancer: A promising adjunct to chemotherapy. World J Clin Oncol 2025; 16(7): 108086 [DOI: 10.5306/wjco.v16.i7.108086]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Md Sadique Hussain, PhD, Assistant Professor, Uttaranchal Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Uttaranchal University, Prem Nagar, Dehra Dun 248007, Uttarākhand, India. sadiquehussain007@gmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Oncology
Article-Type of This Article
Letter to the Editor
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Md Sadique Hussain, Vikash Jakhmola, Uttaranchal Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Uttaranchal University, Dehra Dun 248007, Uttarākhand, India
Md Sadique Hussain, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara 144411, Punjab, India
Amita Joshi Rana, College of Pharmacy, Graphic Era Hill University, Bhimtal 263136, Uttarākhand, India
Sumel Ashique, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Bharat Technology, Uluberiya 711316, West Bengal, India
Gaurav Gupta, Centre for Research Impact & Outcome-Chitkara College of Pharmacy, Chitkara University, Rajpura 140401, Punjab, India
Gaurav Gupta, Centre of Medical and Bio-allied Health Sciences Research, Ajman University, Al Jerf 00000, Ajman, United Arab Emirates
Author contributions: Hussain MS was responsible for conceptualization, data curation, writing – original draft; Jakhmola V was responsible for conceptualization, investigation, writing – original draft; Rana AJ was responsible for formal analysis, investigation, methodology; Ashique S was responsible for data curation, writing – original draft; Gupta G was responsible for conceptualization, supervision, writing – review & editing.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Dr. Hussain has nothing to disclose.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Md Sadique Hussain, PhD, Assistant Professor, Uttaranchal Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Uttaranchal University, Prem Nagar, Dehra Dun 248007, Uttarākhand, India. sadiquehussain007@gmail.com
Received: April 7, 2025 Revised: April 27, 2025 Accepted: June 3, 2025 Published online: July 24, 2025 Processing time: 108 Days and 23.3 Hours
Abstract
We commend the work of Liu et al, who provide compelling preclinical evidence that rosmarinic acid (RA), a natural dietary polyphenol, exerts potent anti-tumor effects in colorectal cancer (CRC) by selectively suppressing the NF-κB signaling pathway. The study’s integrative approach—encompassing molecular docking, transcriptional analysis, and apoptosis induction—demonstrates RA’s ability to inhibit key oncogenic mediators, including cyclin D1 and MYC. Notably, RA enhances the efficacy of chemotherapeutics such as 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin synergistically, suggesting its potential as a chemosensitizer to overcome resistance. Given RA’s established safety profile and its broad spectrum of biological activities, this study provides a strong rationale for advancing RA toward translational applications in CRC management. We highlight the relevance of this work in the broader context of natural compound-based therapeutics and inflammation-driven tumor biology.
Core Tip: This Letter to the Editor underscores the novel findings by Liu et al, revealing rosmarinic acid (RA)’s role in inhibiting colorectal cancer (CRC) progression via NF-κB signaling suppression and its potential as a natural, safe chemosensitizer against 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin resistance. We underscore the therapeutic relevance of these findings, emphasizing RA’s potential as a safe, natural chemosensitizer in CRC treatment and its promising role in overcoming chemoresistance through modulation of inflammation-driven tumor pathways.
