BROMELAIN AS A MULTIFUNCTIONAL BIOACTIVE COMPOUND IN CANCER THERAPY

Cancer remains a global health challenge due to the limitations of conventional therapies, including toxicity, multidrug resistance, and limited efficacy in certain tumor types. Natural compounds with multi-targeted mechanisms, such as bromelain, a proteolytic enzyme extracted from Ananas comosus (pineapple), have gained increasing attention for their therapeutic potential. Bromelain exhibits anticancer effects through apoptosis induction, cell cycle arrest, autophagy, ferroptosis, and inhibition of metastasis. Preclinical evidence demonstrates its effectiveness in breast, colorectal, lung, leukemia, and other cancers, while synergistic benefits have been observed in combination with chemotherapeutics and radiotherapy. Furthermore, nanoparticle-based delivery systems have enhanced bromelain’s bioavailability and tumor-targeting capacity. Although preclinical studies strongly support bromelain’s anticancer potential, clinical validation remains limited, emphasizing the need for well-structured trials to standardize dosing and confirm efficacy in humans. This review highlights bromelain’s role as a promising adjunctive agent in cancer therapy and identifies directions for future research.