**8. Conclusion and future direction**

Cancer progression is characterized by seven hallmarks: sustaining proliferative signaling, insensitivity to growth suppressors, evading apoptosis, acquisition of replicative immortality, induction of angiogenesis, activation of invasion and metastasis and finally chronic inflammation (Colotta F. Et al., 2009).

In a nutshell, the evidence that has been collected so far by multiple investigators suggests that Sal A is a promising compound for cancer drug discovery for it acts at least on three cancer hallmarks: it upregulates tumor suppressors, triggers apoptosis and downregulates the mediators of inflammation. Its selectivity toward tumor cells and ability to target multiple pathways involved in inflammation and cancer imply that this compound is unlikely to have a single target that is responsible for its biological activities. Although a large body of information supports the role of Sal A against cancer and inflammation, there are yet no studies assessing its toxicology profiles or its absorption, distribution and metabolism in animals and humans. Such studies are warranted to better determine its potential for future applications in the clinical setting whether alone or in combination with standard clinical drugs.

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