Abstract: Natural products are important sources of anti-tumor drugs. As a natural product of the cucurbitaceae fritillary family, tubeimosides (TBMs) has important medicinal values and has been widely used in the prevention and treatment of many diseases, including cancer. The main active ingredients of TBMs are saponins, and 16 saponins have been isolated so far, of which, TBM I, II and III are the most studied active ingredients. Recent studies have shown that TBMs vulgaris have anti-tumor activity in different stages of canceration. The anti-tumor mechanisms of TBMs include inhibiting the growth and proliferation of cancer cells, inducing cancer cell differentiation, apoptosis, autophagy, inhibiting tumor cell angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis, inhibiting inflammation, and so on. This review summarized the latest information on the anti-tumor effect and preclinical research of TBMs and explored the application prospects of TBMs in cancer prevention and treatment. It may provide a foundation for the further development and utilization of TBMs and TBMs-related medicines.

Key words: tubeimosides, cancer, anti-tumor, molecular mechanism