Cepharanthine as a Biofactor: Molecular Functions, Signaling Pathway Modulation and Therapeutic Relevance in Cancer and Drug Resistance

Natural products are one of the pillars of the drug discovery process, as they provide various scaffolds and diverse biological activity. Cepharanthine (CEP), an alkaloid with a bisbenzyl-isoquinoline skeleton, was isolated from the Stephania genus. The research articles on this alkaloid invariably cite its usefulness due to its biological activity. The relevant keywords were searched in various databases, and two independent reviewers carefully removed the duplicates. The alkaloid exhibits multiple biological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-viral, apart from anti-cancer activities. It has been used to treat diverse medical conditions, including venomous snakebites. One of the key reactions of this alkaloid involves its ability to reverse multidrug resistance.