AccScience Publishing / EJMO / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/EJMO025330352
MINI-REVIEW

Endogenous and dietary geranylgeranoic acid: A mini review on its role in hepatic tumor suppression

Yuki Tabata*
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1 Department of Nutritional Health, Nutritional Biochemistry, Faculty of Wellness Studies, Kwassui Women’s University, Nagasaki, Nagasaki, Japan
Received: 15 August 2025 | Revised: 18 September 2025 | Accepted: 9 October 2025 | Published online: 31 October 2025
© 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution -Noncommercial 4.0 International License (CC-by the license) ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ )
Abstract

Geranylgeranoic acid (GGA) is an acyclic diterpenoid that functions as a ligand for retinoic acid receptors and promotes differentiation in human hepatoma cell lines. Unlike natural retinoids, GGA induces apoptotic-like cell death at micromolar concentrations. In the early 2000s, GGA was identified as a naturally occurring diterpenoid in plants, including turmeric (Curcuma longa). Based on its chemical structure, GGA is presumed to be biosynthesized from the metabolic intermediate geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP), which is derived from either the mevalonate or non-mevalonate pathways. GGPP is dephosphorylated to geranylgeraniol, which is subsequently oxidized in two steps to produce GGA. Our previous work demonstrated that GGA is endogenously synthesized in mammals through the mevalonate pathway, with monoamine oxidase B and CYP3A4 involved in its hepatic metabolism. Notably, in a spontaneous hepatoma mouse model, hepatic GGA levels were markedly depleted by 23 months of age. However, oral supplementation with GGA at 11 months significantly suppressed hepatocellular carcinoma development. These findings suggest that age-related declines in endogenous GGA levels may be associated with tumorigenesis and that dietary supplementation may contribute to cancer prevention. This review outlines the biochemical pathways of GGA biosynthesis, its dietary origins, and its known biological functions, with particular emphasis on its tumor-suppressive effects in animal models. We also discuss the potential nutritional relevance of GGA-containing foods in disease prevention. By integrating previous findings with recent analytical data, we propose future research directions to clarify the physiological roles of GGA and its potential applications in functional-food science.

Keywords
Geranylgeranoic acid
Dietary isoprenoids
Hepatocellular carcinoma
Cancer prevention
Monoamine oxidase B
Diterpenoid
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The author declares no conflicts of interest.
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Eurasian Journal of Medicine and Oncology, Electronic ISSN: 2587-196X Print ISSN: 2587-2400, Published by AccScience Publishing