Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are classified as a group of transcripts which regulate various biological processes, such as RNA processing, epigenetic control, and signaling pathways. According to recent studies, lncRNAs are dysregulated in cancer and play an important role in cancer incidence and spreading. There is also an association between lncRNAs and the overexpression of some tumor-associated proteins, including carbonic anhydrases II, IX, and XII (CA II, CA IX, and CA XII). Therefore, not only CA inhibition, but also lncRNA modulation, could represent an attractive strategy for cancer prevention and therapy. Experimental studies have suggested that herbal compounds regulate the expression of many lncRNAs involved in cancer, such as HOTAIR (HOX transcript antisense RNA), H19, MALAT1 (metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1), PCGEM1 (Prostate cancer gene expression marker 1), PVT1, etc. These plant-derived drugs or phytochemicals include resveratrol, curcumin, genistein, quercetin, epigallocatechin-3-galate, camptothcin, and 3,3'-diindolylmethane. More comprehensive information about lncRNA modulation via phytochemicals would be helpful for the administration of new herbal derivatives in cancer therapy. In this review, we describe the state-of-the-art and potential of phytochemicals as modulators of lncRNAs in different types of cancers.
Keywords: cancer; carbonic anhydrase; long non-coding RNA (lncRNA); modulator; phytochemicals.