Emerging lactic acid bacteria bacteriocins as anti-cancer and anti-tumor agents for human health

Modern cancer diagnostics and treatment options have greatly improved survival rates; the illness remains a major cause of mortality worldwide. Current treatments for cancer, such as chemotherapy, are not cancer-specific and may cause harm to healthy cells; therefore, it is imperative that new drugs for cancer be developed that are both safe and effective. It has been found that lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have the potential to produce bacteriocins, which could potentially offer a promising alternative for cancer treatment. They have been shown in several studies to be effective against cancer cells while having no effect on healthy cells. More research is needed to fully understand the potential of LAB bacteriocins as anti-cancer medicines, to find the appropriate dose and delivery route, and to conduct clinical trials to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the products in human patients, as is suggested by this work. Furthermore, LAB bacteriocins may evolve into a significant new class of anti-cancer drugs and food products. Patients with cancer may have a safe and effective alternative treatment option in the form of anti-cancer foods and drugs. Therefore, the aim of this study is to provide an in-depth analysis of the recent breakthroughs and potential future technical advancements of significant bacteriocins that are produced by LAB, how these bacteriocins function, and how these bacteriocins may be utilized as an anti-cancer agent. In addition, the current analysis emphasizes the significant constraints and boundaries that bacteriocins face when they are used as an anti-cancer factor. [Display omitted] •Important lactic acid bacteria-produced bacteriocins have been focussed.•Safe bacteriocins are identified as an alternative to existing cancer treatments.•Cationic and amphiphilic bacteriocins have shown anti-cancer activities.•Cationic bacteriocin reacts with anionic cell membranes to prevent cancer growth.•Lacking in in vivo anti-cancer analysis, bacteriocins have been suggested for future study.