ArticleBMC cancer2021
Effect of d-limonene and its derivatives on breast cancer in human trials: a scoping review and narrative synthesis.
Article in BMC cancer, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 49 citations in OpenAlex.
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- Targeted phytotherapy: essential oils, multi-target cancer action & nanodelivery.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Review
- Evaluation of a multi-component mucoadhesive buccal patch: cytokine-associated inflammatory responses and tissue remodeling in experimental models.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Article
- Innovations in the Delivery of Bioactive Compounds for Cancer Prevention and Therapy: Advances, Challenges, and Future Perspectives.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Applications of Limonene in Neoplasms and Non-Neoplastic Diseases.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Development ofInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Article
- Essential Oils: Chemistry and Pharmacological Activities-Part II.Biomedicines · 2024Review
- Oxidative Stress-Mediated Repression of Virulence Gene Transcription and Biofilm Formation as Antibacterial Action ofInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2024Article
- Synergism of d-limonene and temozolomide on migratory and apoptotic behaviors of human glioblastoma cell lines.BioImpacts : BI · 2024Article
- Prospects of compounds of herbal plants as anticancer agents: a comprehensive review from molecular pathways.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2024Review
- Synthesis, characterization and anti-breast cancer potential of an incensole acetate nanoemulsion fromRSC advances · 2023Article
- Comparative Evaluation of Volatile Organic Compounds in Two Bottle Gourd Accessions with Distinct Fruit Shapes.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Harnessing the power of traditional Chinese medicine monomers and compound prescriptions to boost cancer immunotherapy.Frontiers in immunology · 2023Review
- Tracing the volatilomic fingerprint of grape pomace as a powerful approach for its valorization.Current research in food science · 2023Article
- Characterization ofFrontiers in plant science · 2023Article
- Studies Regarding the Antimicrobial Behavior of Clotrimazole and Limonene.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Proximal discrepancy in intrinsic atomic interaction arrests G2/M phase by inhibiting Cyclin B1/CDK1 to infer molecular and cellular biocompatibility of D-limonene.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundD-limonene and its derivatives have demonstrated potential chemopreventive and anticancer activity in preclinical and clinical studies. The aim of this scoping review was to assess and critically appraise current literature on the effect of these bioactive citrus peel compounds on breast cancer in human trials and to identify knowledge gaps for exploration in future studies.
methodsThis study followed a scoping review framework. Peer-reviewed journal articles were included if they reported the effect of d-limonene or its derivatives on breast cancer in human subjects. Articles were retrieved from academic databases - PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Cochrane reviews - and iteratively through review of bibliographies of relevant manuscripts. Titles and abstracts were appraised against the aforementioned inclusion criteria in a first round of screening. Through consensus meetings and full article review by authors, a final set of studies were selected. Results were reported according to the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews.
resultsOur search strategy yielded 367 records. Following screening and adjudication, five articles reporting on phase 1(n = 2), phase 2 (n = 2) and both trial phases (n = 1) were included as the final dataset for this review. Trials evaluating the effect of d-limonene (n = 2) showed it was well tolerated in subjects. One study (n = 43 participants) showed d-limonene concentrated in breast tissue (mean 41.3 μg/g tissue) and reduction in tumor cyclin D1 expression, which is associated with tumor proliferation arrest. This study did not show meaningful change in serum biomarkers associated with breast cancer, except for a statistically significant increase in insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-I) levels. While elevation of IGF-I is associated with increased cancer risk, the clinical implication of this study remains uncertain given its short duration. Trials with perillyl alcohol (n = 3) showed low tolerance and no effect on breast cancer.
conclusionThis review demonstrated a dearth of clinical studies exploring the effect of d-limonene and its derivatives on breast cancer. Limited literature suggests d-limonene is safe and tolerable in human subjects compared to its derivative, perillyl alcohol. Our review demonstrates the need for additional well-powered placebo-controlled trials that assess d-limonene's efficacy on breast cancer compared to other therapies.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.