Happy Kurnia Permatasari, Dian Nugrahenny, Bayu Lestari, Rani Wardani Hakim, Zulkarnain Zulkarnain, Muhammad Anshory, Fahrul Nurkolis
The increasing interest in natural products for cancer prevention has led to a provocative exploration of Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) as a potential chemopreventive functional food. This perspective synthesizes current knowledge on Kratom's rich phytochemical profile—dominated by alkaloids (mitragynine, 7-hydroxymitragynine) alongside flavonoids and phenolics—and examines their molecular actions in cancer-related pathways. In vitro evidence demonstrates that Kratom alkaloids induce selective apoptosis, arrest cell cycle progression, inhibit migration and clonogenicity, and synergize with chemotherapeutic agents. Non-alkaloidal constituents, such as rutin and procyanidin, exhibit antioxidant activity and topoisomerase IIα inhibition, further contributing to anticancer effects. The review critically assesses bioavailability challenges, metabolic transformations, and safety concerns, including psychoactive properties and drug–food interactions. Regulatory and standardization hurdles are discussed, highlighting the need for batch consistency, toxicity profiling, and harmonized legal frameworks for psychoactive botanicals. Finally, strategic recommendations for future research are proposed: controlled human trials, advanced formulation techniques to enhance bioavailability, fair-trade sourcing, and consumer education to overcome stigma. This work argues that, with rigorous standardization and safety validation, Kratom holds promise as a novel multi-target functional food for cancer chemoprevention. © 2025 The Authors.
Department of Biochemistry and Biomolecular, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia; Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia; Department of Medical Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia; Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia; Department of Dermatology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, Netherlands; Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia; Master of Basic Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia; State Islamic University of Sunan Kalijaga (UIN Sunan Kalijaga), Yogyakarta, 55281, Indonesia; Medical Research Center of Indonesia, Surabaya, Indonesia
