Anticancer Mechanism of D-limonene: An Updated Review and Therapeutic Possibilities

Despite remarkable advancement in screening, diagnosis, and treatment modalities cancer remains the second leading cause of death globally. Chemoprevention is considered to be a potential strategy for dealing with cancer incidence and mortality. The present demand for a less toxic well-tolerated natural anticancer compound that can be used for chemoprevention has drawn the attention towards D-limonene, which is a monocyclic monoterpene found in citrus oil. In recent years several in vitro and in vivo studies have supported the anticancer potential of D-limonene in various cancers. Although these studies have highlighted its course of action through immune modulation, anti-oxidant activity, apoptosis, autophagy, etc. various scientific pieces of evidence support the fact that it targets multiple pathways to inhibit cancer. The current review focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying the anticancer activity of D-limonene and discusses its potential to be used as a cost-effective chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic drug alone or in combination with other drugs. Scientific databases like Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Google Scholar, PubMed Central etc have been used to review new and recent insights into the anticancer mechanism of D-limonene. In this review, we discussed the overall, significance of the anticancer mechanisms of D-limonene which include modulation of apoptosis, promotion of autophagy and inhibition of angiogenesis and metastasis. It also inhibits oncogenic signaling molecules and related transcription factors. Additionally, it also acts in combination with other anticancer compounds to inhibit cancer.