anticancer butanolides and lignans from the makko tree, machilus thunbergii siebold & zucc. (lauraceae). a review

The plant machilus thunbergii siebold & zucc., known as makko tree, is distributed in many countries of south asia: china, taiwan, japan, south korea, philippines, vietnam, cambodia, laos. the bark of the tree is used for the preparation of incense powder, and the wood is exploited locally. a few applications of the plant in chinese and korean traditional medicines have been mentioned, for the treatment of headache, apoplexy, and dyspepsia. this review provides a survey of the main butanolides and neolignans isolated from the bark and leaves of makko tree, with a focus on anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer compounds. the molecular targets of selected butanolides such as litsenolides a2 and obtusilactone b, and different lignans, including machilins a-i, are discussed. the targeting of lactate dehydrogenase a (ldha) by machilin a is at the origin of anticancer properties. the review highlights the structural diversity and properties of the machilins.