Interplay Between IncRNA and Phytochemicals in Urological Cancers

Urological cancers such as prostate, bladder, and renal cell carcinoma are a significant health issue in the world as they are highly prevalent, resistant to treatment, and they recur frequently. Recent developments in molecular oncology have put the long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) into the limelight as key players that regulate tumorigenesis, but control cellular proliferation, apoptosis, metastasis, and drug resistance. Hypotension of lncRNAs is involved in oncogenic signaling pathways and epigenetic reprogramming and has the effect of modulating cancer progression and therapeutic response. However, simultaneously, phytochemicals, bioactive compounds produced by natural plants, have become the prospective adjunctive agents owing to multitargeted anticancer action, low toxicity, and gene expression level control. The interaction of lncRNAs and phytochemicals provides a new treatment paradigm of urological malignancies. Some phytochemicals like curcumin, resveratrol, epigallocatechin gallate, and quercetin have been shown to regulate the expression profiles of lncRNAs, turning oncogenic phenotypes into tumor-suppressive ones and reviving tumor-suppressive signaling. These interactions affect important molecular events such as chromatin remodeling, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, androgen receptor signaling, and drug resistance via efflux. Additionally, lncRNA modulation by the phytochemical has a potential to improve the sensitivity of chemotherapy and prevent adverse treatment responses. The mechanistic insights into the interactions between lncRNAs and phytochemicals can be utilized to better understand precision oncology, which offers opportunities to use biomarker-guided interventions and combination therapy. Further investigation of this interaction can result in the construction of clinically translatable solutions to use natural compounds to control cancer-related lncRNAs, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of treatment and patient prognosis. This is the new area that highlights the necessity to combine molecular biology with natural product pharmacology to improve urological cancer management.