Notch signaling pathway modulation by food functional ingredients: mechanisms, cancer and immunoregulation

This article comprehensively reviews the complex role of the Notch signaling cascade in cancer, as well as the regulatory mechanisms and potential anti-cancer effects of food functional ingredients on this pathway. The Notch signaling cascade is essential for maintaining normal cellular physiological processes and is closely associated with cancer initiation and progression; its abnormalities are linked to diverse biological behaviors of tumor cells, and it exhibits dual roles in both pro-cancer and anti-cancer properties. Food functional ingredients, including polyphenols, terpenoids, sulfur-containing compounds, vitamins, minerals, and other compounds, can precisely regulate the Notch signaling pathway <i>via</i> distinct molecular mechanisms and exert significant anti-cancer activity. <i>In vitro</i> cell experiments have elucidated the regulatory effects of these ingredients on the Notch pathway and their impacts on cancer cell phenotypes at the molecular level, while <i>in vivo</i> animal experiments further verified their efficacy in inhibiting tumor growth and metastasis. Although clinical research remains in its infancy, existing studies have provided directions for subsequent basic and clinical investigations-specifically, to further clarify the detailed mechanisms by which functional ingredients in food regulate the Notch signaling cascade and facilitate their clinical application in cancer treatment.