{
  "abstract": "Zamzam water (ZW), a naturally occurring alkaline mineral water with a distinctive ionic and trace-element composition, has attracted growing scientific interest due to its reported pharmacological properties and emerging biological effects relevant to cancer research. This review provides a comprehensive mechanistic synthesis that links the physicochemical characteristics of ZW to molecular and cellular processes implicated in cancer biology. Integrating evidence from cancer biology, redox pharmacology, mitochondrial physiology, and cellular signaling, this review examines how the unique mineral composition and mildly alkaline pH of ZW may collectively influence pathways associated with the hallmarks of cancer. Preclinical studies demonstrate context-dependent modulation of cell proliferation, apoptosis, oxidative stress, mitochondrial function, cell-cycle progression, and signaling pathways, including mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and cyclic AMP (cAMP) networks, across multiple cancer models. Beyond its reported antiproliferative activity, ZW also exhibits antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and organ-protective effects in non-malignant systems. Importantly, this review proposes a conceptual framework for investigating the relative contributions of mineral ions, ionic homeostasis, redox regulation, and physicochemical properties to the biological effects of ZW, and identifies key mechanistic and methodological gaps. ZW has exhibited cancer-associated biological effects in experimental animals; however, its therapeutic effectiveness has yet to be validated. Future studies integrating standardized physicochemical characterization, molecular validation, multi-omics approaches, and clinical investigations are required to establish its translational relevance in complementary oncology.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, Sukoharjo 57162, Indonesia",
    "Faculty of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Royal College of Medicine Perak, Universiti Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh 30450, Malaysia",
    "Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Daffodil International University, Dhaka 1216, Bangladesh",
    "Department of Food Engineering, Gopalganj Science and Technology University, Gopalganj 8105, Bangladesh",
    "Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh 2202, Bangladesh",
    "Department of Applied Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Gopalganj Science and Technology University, Gopalganj 8105, Bangladesh",
    "Department of Pharmacy, Gopalganj Science and Technology University, Gopalganj 8105, Bangladesh",
    "Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Setia Budi, Surakarta 57127, Indonesia",
    "Department of Biological Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, Sukoharjo 57162, Indonesia"
  ],
  "article_type": "review article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 12,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Md. Sanower Hossain",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-5686-2943"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Anwar Parvez",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1310-8294"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Md. Tarakul Islam",
      "orcid": "0009-0003-1121-0062"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Shakil Ahmmed",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-4434-859X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Md. Hasibul Hasan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Peni Indrayudha"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Hamzeh Alkhatib"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Md. Hanif Munshi",
      "orcid": "0009-0009-0804-9312"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Hasna Banu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Erindyah Retno Wikantyasning",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-8997-7322"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7
      ],
      "name": "Iswandi",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-4941-9289"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8
      ],
      "name": "Ambarwati Ambarwati"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/33yn36cehx6ew.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3390/ijms27209308",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13705462/?tool=EBI",
  "id": "33yn36cehx6ew",
  "issns": [
    "1422-0067"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/20/9308",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "3603|Therapeutic Uses of Natural Elements"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223001119",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13705462/pdf/?tool=EBI",
  "pmcid": "PMC13705462",
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-01",
  "publisher": "MDPI AG",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/33yn36cehx6ew.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:57Z",
      "native_id": "10.3390/ijms27209308",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/20/9308"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:21:31Z",
      "native_id": "PMC:PMC13705462",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13705462"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biochemistry",
      "origin": "issn:1422-0067",
      "subfield": "general"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Zamzam Water in Cancer and Beyond: Preclinical Cellular Effects and Proposed Mechanistic Hypotheses",
  "title_text": "Zamzam Water in Cancer and Beyond: Preclinical Cellular Effects and Proposed Mechanistic Hypotheses",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:21:31Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/33yn36cehx6ew",
  "venue": "International Journal of Molecular Sciences",
  "versions": []
}