Current Perspectives in the Application of Medicinal Plants Against Cancer: Novel Therapeutic Agents

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sevgi Gezici ◽  
Nazım Şekeroğlu
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Antitumor Agents ◽  
Immune Therapy ◽  
Alternative Therapy ◽  
Cancer Therapeutics ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Major Health Problem ◽  
Cell Growth And Proliferation

Background: Cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth and proliferation. It has become a major health problem in the past decades and is now the second leading cause of death globally. Although, there are different types of treatment such as chemotherapy, immune therapy, radiation, hormone therapy and targeted therapy used against cancer, they have possible side effects and significant deficiencies. Methods: This review aims to outline the benefits of medicinal plants and plant-derived products and highlight why they should be used as novel anti-cancer therapeutics. Electronic databases, including PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Cochrane library, and MedlinePlus were searched to summarize in vitro, in vivo and clinical studies on anticancer effects of medicinal plants and their bioactive compounds up-to-date. Results: In recent years, a number of medicinal plants have been administered to cancer patients in order to prevent and treat cancer as an alternative therapy. These plants were used because of their rich anticarcinogenic and chemoprotective potentials. In addition to these remarkable properties, these plants have less toxic anticancer, anti-tumor and anti-proliferation agents than traditional therapeutics. Nevertheless, only a small number of natural anti-tumor products including vinblastine, vincristine, podophyllotoxin, paclitaxel (Taxol) and camptothecin have been tested clinically, while vinflunine ditartrate, anhydrovinblastine, NK-611, tafluposide, paclitaxel poliglumex, combretastatins, salvicine, curcumin, indirubin, triptolide, homoharringtonine are still on trial. Conclusion: Consequently, more effective anticancer compounds are identified during the clinical trials; these natural products could be a key source of antitumor agents in modern anticancer therapy. It is expected that novel anticancer phytopharmaceuticals produced from medicinal plants could be effectively used in prevention and therapy for the cancers.

scholarly journals Medicinal Plants Used as Antitumor Agents in Brazil: An Ethnobotanical Approach

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joabe Gomes de Melo ◽  
Ariane Gaspar Santos ◽  
Elba Lúcia Cavalcanti de Amorim ◽  
Silene Carneiro do Nascimento ◽  
Ulysses Paulino de Albuquerque
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Antitumor Agents ◽  
Pharmacological Study ◽  
Aloe Vera ◽  
Traditional Healers

In this study, we describe the medicinal plants that have been reported to be antitumor agents and that have been used in ethnobotanic research in Brazil to answer the following questions: what is the abundance of plants reported to be antitumor in Brazil? Have the plant species used for tumor treatment in traditional Brazilian medicine been sufficiently examined scientifically? Our analysis included papers published between 1980 and 2008. A total of 84 medicinal plant species were reported to be used for cancer and tumor prevention or treatment; 69.05% of these were cited as being used for the treatment of tumors and cancer in general and 30.95% for specific tumors or cancers. The plants that were cited at a higher frequency wereAloe vera,Euphorbia tirucalli, andTabebuia impetiginosa. At least, one pharmacological study was found for 35.71% of the species. Majority of the studies selected were conducted in rural communities and urban areas and in areas with traditional healers in Brazil. We found the following molecules to be the most studied in vitro and in vivo: silibinin, β-lapachone, plumbagin and capsaicin. The species addressed here constitute interesting objects for future studies to various professionals in the field of natural products.

scholarly journals Effect of Tinospora cordifolia-Derived Phytocomponents on Cancer: A Systematic Review

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (23) ◽  
pp. 5147
Author(s):  
Babji Deepa ◽  
Harsha Babaji ◽  
Jagadish Hosmani ◽  
Abdul Alamir ◽  
Shazia Mushtaq ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
English Language ◽  
Cancer Therapeutics ◽  
Tinospora Cordifolia ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Therapeutic Modalities ◽  
Treatment Regimens

The major cancer therapeutic modalities include surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Although these treatment regimens have played a significant role in effectively inhibiting cancer, their associated morbidity reduces the overall quality of life. Thus, researchers are striving to identify any alternate therapeutic approach capable of inhibiting cancer without eliciting the added morbidity. Among the alternate cancer therapeutics being researched, much importance is being given to the use of plants due to the presence of a wide variety of anti-carcinogenic compounds. Tinospora cordifolia (Tc) is one such plant and has shown to exhibit anti-carcinogenic properties. The present review aimed to systematically analyze published data on the effect of Tinospora cordifolia-derived phytocomponents on cancer. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase and Cochrane library were searched using the keywords Tinospora cordifolia; anticancer; phytocomponents until March 20, 2019. In vivo and in vitro original studies in the English language were included. Of the 342 articles identified, only 25 articles met the selection criteria and were included in the review. Significant anti-carcinogenic properties were exhibited by Tinospora cordifolia-derived phytocompounds including palmative, berberine, new clerodane furanoditerene glycoside, arabinogalactan, phenolic compounds and epoxy cleodane diterpene. No significant side effects have been elicited with its use. Based on the data from the included studies, Tinospora cordifolia could be a natural therapeutic agent for cancer, provided its anti-carcinogenic properties can be elicited consistently at a large scale in clinical trials.

Stilbenes and Xanthones from Medicinal Plants as Potential Antitumor Agents

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugenia Dumitra Teodor ◽  
Oana Ungureanu ◽  
Veronica Moroeanu ◽  
Gabriel Lucian Radu
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Anticancer Agents ◽  
Antitumor Agents ◽  
Plant Polyphenols ◽  
Natural Substances ◽  
Abnormal Cells ◽  
Digestive Disorders ◽  
Potential Antitumor

Abstract:: There is an emerging interest for plant polyphenols as dietary ingredients, particularly in digestive disorders and/or as antitumor agents. The plant compounds or extracts continue to be an alternative to drug use, many studies being aimed to find natural substances with selective cytotoxicity on abnormal cells. Phenolic compounds as important secondary metabolites from plants are intensively studied as substitute of drugs. In this review, the recent literature data from past five years about potential anticancer/antitumor effect of some categories of phenolics such as stilbenes and xanthones extracted from medicinal plants are surveyed. The most important results concerning the effectiveness as antitumor/anticancer agents of these active compounds, as isolated compounds or as plant extracts, some bioavailability aspects and their mechanism of action in vitro and in vivo were considered.

Vitamin D as potential therapeutic anticancer agent

2018 ◽  
pp. 1-3
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
Anticancer Activity ◽  
Anticancer Agent ◽  
Antitumor Agents ◽  
Metastatic Potential ◽  
Anticancer Properties ◽  
Chemotherapy Agents

The role of vitamin D is implicated in carcinogenesis through numerous biological processes like induction of apoptosis, modulation of immune system inhibition of inflammation and cell proliferation and promotion of cell differentiation. Its use as additional adjuvant drug with cancer treatment may be novel combination for improved outcome of different cancers. Numerous preclinical, epidemiological and clinical studies support the role of vitamin D as an anticancer agent. Anticancer properties of vitamin D have been studied widely (both in vivo and in vitro) among various cancers and found to have promising results. There are considerable data that indicate synergistic potential of calcitriol and antitumor agents. Possible mechanisms for modulatory anticancer activity of vitamin D include its antiproliferative, prodifferentiating, and anti-angiogenic and apoptic properties. Calcitriol reduces invasiveness and metastatic potential of many cancer cells by inhibiting angiogenesis and regulating expression of the key molecules involved in invasion and metastasis. Anticancer activity of vitamin D is synergistic or additive with the antineoplastic actions of several drugs including cytotoxic chemotherapy agents like paclitaxel, docetaxel, platinum base compounds and mitoxantrone. Benefits of addition of vitamin D should be weighed against the risk of its toxicity.

Medicinal Plants and Bioactive Compounds for Diabetes Management: Important Advances for Drug Discovery

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kondeti Ramudu Shanmugam ◽  
Bhasha Shanmugam ◽  
Gangigunta Venkatasubbaiah ◽  
Sahukari Ravi ◽  
Kesireddy Sathyavelu Reddy
Keyword(s):  
Herbal Medicine ◽  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Bioactive Compounds ◽  
Diabetes Management ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
In Vivo Studies ◽  
Major Public Health Problem

Background : Diabetes is a major public health problem in the world. It affects each and every part of the human body and also leads to organ failure. Hence, great progress made in the field of herbal medicine and diabetic research. Objectives: Our review will focus on the effect of bioactive compounds of medicinal plants which are used to treat diabetes in India and other countries. Methods: Information regarding diabetes, oxidative stress, medicinal plants and bioactive compounds were collected from different search engines like Science direct, Springer, Wiley online library, Taylor and francis, Bentham Science, Pubmed and Google scholar. Data was analyzed and summarized in the review. Results and Conclusion: Anti-diabetic drugs that are in use have many side effects on vital organs like heart, liver, kidney and brain. There is an urgent need for alternative medicine to treat diabetes and their disorders. In India and other countries herbal medicine was used to treat diabetes. Many herbal plants have antidiabetic effects. The plants like ginger, phyllanthus, curcumin, aswagandha, aloe, hibiscus and curcuma showed significant anti-hyperglycemic activities in experimental models and humans. The bioactive compounds like Allicin, azadirachtin, cajanin, curcumin, querceitin, gingerol possesses anti-diabetic, antioxidant and other pharmacological properties. This review focuses on the role of bioactive compounds of medicinal plants in prevention and management of diabetes. Conclusion: Moreover, our review suggests that bioactive compounds have the potential therapeutic potential against diabetes. However, further in vitro and in vivo studies are needed to validate these findings.

Current Status and Future Perspective for Research on Medicinal Plants with Anticancerous Activity and Minimum Cytotoxic Value

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (12) ◽  
pp. 1227-1243
Author(s):  
Hina Qamar ◽  
Sumbul Rehman ◽  
D.K. Chauhan
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Anticancer Agents ◽  
Drug Targets ◽  
Psidium Guajava ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Future Perspective ◽  
Wide Range

Cancer is the second leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Although chemotherapy and radiotherapy enhance the survival rate of cancerous patients but they have several acute toxic effects. Therefore, there is a need to search for new anticancer agents having better efficacy and lesser side effects. In this regard, herbal treatment is found to be a safe method for treating and preventing cancer. Here, an attempt has been made to screen some less explored medicinal plants like Ammania baccifera, Asclepias curassavica, Azadarichta indica, Butea monosperma, Croton tiglium, Hedera nepalensis, Jatropha curcas, Momordica charantia, Moringa oleifera, Psidium guajava, etc. having potent anticancer activity with minimum cytotoxic value (IC50 >3μM) and lesser or negligible toxicity. They are rich in active phytochemicals with a wide range of drug targets. In this study, these medicinal plants were evaluated for dose-dependent cytotoxicological studies via in vitro MTT assay and in vivo tumor models along with some more plants which are reported to have IC50 value in the range of 0.019-0.528 mg/ml. The findings indicate that these plants inhibit tumor growth by their antiproliferative, pro-apoptotic, anti-metastatic and anti-angiogenic molecular targets. They are widely used because of their easy availability, affordable price and having no or sometimes minimal side effects. This review provides a baseline for the discovery of anticancer drugs from medicinal plants having minimum cytotoxic value with minimal side effects and establishment of their analogues for the welfare of mankind.

Potential Antiulcer Agents From Plants: A Comprehensive Review

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 170-231
Author(s):  
Minky Mukhija ◽  
Bhuwan Chandra Joshi
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Scientific Data ◽  
Antiulcer Activity ◽  
Peptic Ulcers ◽  
Comprehensive Review ◽  
Chemical Structures ◽  
Mucosal Thickness

Background: Peptic ulcer is a deep gastrointestinal erosion disorder that involves the entire mucosal thickness and can even penetrate the muscular mucosa. Nowadays, several plants and compounds derived from it have been screened for their antiulcer activity. In the last few years, there has been an exponential growth in the field of herbal medicine. This field has gained popularity in both developing and developed countries because of their natural origin and less side effects. Objective: This review aims to provide a comprehensive summary of currently available knowledge of medicinal plants and phytoconstituents reported for their anti-ulcer properties. Methods: The worldwide accepted database like SCOPUS, PUBMED, SCIELO, NISCAIR, ScienceDirect, Springerlink, Web of Science, Wiley, SciFinder and Google Scholar were used to retrieve available published literature. Results: A comprehensive review of the present paper is an attempt to list the plants with antiulcer activity. The review narrates the dire need to explore potential chemical moieties that exert an antiulcer effect, from unexploited traditional plants. Furthermore, the present study reveals the intense requirement to exploit the exact mechanism through which either the plant extracts or their active constituents exhibit their antiulcer properties. Conclusion: This article is the compilation of the plants and its constituents reported for the treatment of peptic ulcers. The Comprehensive data will surely attract the number of investigators to initiate further research that might lead to the drugs for the treatment of ulcers. As sufficient scientific data is not available on plants, most of the herbals cannot be recommended for the treatment of diseases. This can be achieved by research on pure chemical structures derived from plants or to prepare new lead compounds with proven beneficial preclinical in vitro and in vivo effects. However, a lot remains to be done in further investigations for the better status of medicinal plants.

scholarly journals Design, Synthesis, Molecular Modeling and Antitumor Evaluation of Novel Indolyl-Pyrimidine Derivatives with EGFR Inhibitory Activity

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 1838
Author(s):  
Naglaa M. Ahmed ◽  
Mahmoud M. Youns ◽  
Moustafa K. Soltan ◽  
Ahmed M. Said
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Modeling ◽  
Antitumor Activity ◽  
Cell Lines ◽  
Cancer Cell ◽  
Antiproliferative Activity ◽  
Antitumor Agents ◽  
Cancer Cell Lines ◽  
Normal Cells

Scaffolds hybridization is a well-known drug design strategy for antitumor agents. Herein, series of novel indolyl-pyrimidine hybrids were synthesized and evaluated in vitro and in vivo for their antitumor activity. The in vitro antiproliferative activity of all compounds was obtained against MCF-7, HepG2, and HCT-116 cancer cell lines, as well as against WI38 normal cells using the resazurin assay. Compounds 1–4 showed broad spectrum cytotoxic activity against all these cancer cell lines compared to normal cells. Compound 4g showed potent antiproliferative activity against these cell lines (IC50 = 5.1, 5.02, and 6.6 μM, respectively) comparable to the standard treatment (5-FU and erlotinib). In addition, the most promising group of compounds was further evaluated for their in vivo antitumor efficacy against EAC tumor bearing mice. Notably, compound 4g showed the most potent in vivo antitumor activity. The most active compounds were evaluated for their EGFR inhibitory (range 53–79 %) activity. Compound 4g was found to be the most active compound against EGFR (IC50 = 0.25 µM) showing equipotency as the reference treatment (erlotinib). Molecular modeling study was performed on compound 4g revealed a proper binding of this compound inside the EGFR active site comparable to erlotinib. The data suggest that compound 4g could be used as a potential anticancer agent.

scholarly journals Surface-Initiated Atom Transfer Polymerized Anionic Corona on Gold Nanoparticles for Anti-Cancer Therapy

Pharmaceutics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 261
Author(s):  
Wei Mao ◽  
Sol Lee ◽  
Ji Un Shin ◽  
Hyuk Sang Yoo
Keyword(s):  
Gold Nanoparticles ◽  
Transfection Efficiency ◽  
Cancer Therapeutics ◽  
Atom Transfer ◽  
Layer By Layer ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Metallic Particles ◽  
Anti Cancer

Surface initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) documented a simple but efficient technique to grow a dense polymer layer on any surface. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) give a broad surface to immobilize sulfhyryl group-containing initiators for SI-ATRP; in addition, AuNPs are the major nanoparticulate carriers for delivery of anti-cancer therapeutics, since they are biocompatible and bioinert. In this work, AuNPs with a disulfide initiator were polymerized with sulfoethyl methacrylate by SI-ATRP to decorate the particles with anionic corona, and branched polyethyeleneimine (PEI) and siRNA were sequentially layered onto the anionic corona of AuNP by electrostatic interaction. The in vitro anti-cancer effect confirmed that AuNP with anionic corona showed higher degrees of apoptosis as well as suppression of the oncogene expression in a siRNA dose-dependent manner. The in vivo study of tumor-bearing nude mice revealed that mice treated with c-Myc siRNA-incorporated AuNPs showed dramatically decreased tumor size in comparison to those with free siRNA for 4 weeks. Furthermore, histological examination and gene expression study revealed that the decorated AuNP significantly suppressed c-Myc expression. Thus, we envision that the layer-by-layer assembly on the anionic brushes can be potentially used to incorporate nucleic acids onto metallic particles with high transfection efficiency.

scholarly journals A Review of Plants Used in South African Traditional Medicine for the Management and Treatment of Hypertension

Planta Medica ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 85 (04) ◽  
pp. 312-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatai Balogun ◽  
Anofi Ashafa
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
South African ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Higher Plants ◽  
In Vivo Studies ◽  
Research Councils

AbstractSouth Africa contains 9% of the worldʼs higher plants, and despite its rich biodiversity, it has one of the highest prevalence of hypertension in Africa. This review provides information on medicinal plants embraced in South Africa for hypertension management, with the aim of reporting pharmacological information on the indigenous use of these plants as antihypertensives. This review not only focuses on the activity of antihypertensive medicinal plants but also reports some of its phytochemical constituents and other ethnopharmacological and therapeutic properties. Information obtained from scientific and or unpublished databases such as Science Direct, PubMed, SciFinder, JSTOR, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and various books revealed 117 documented antihypertensive plant species from 50 families. Interestingly, Asteraceae topped the list with 16 species, followed by Fabaceae with 8 species; however, only 25% of all plant species have demonstrated antihypertensive effects originating from both in vitro and in vivo studies, lending credence to their folkloric use. Only 11 plant species reportedly possess antihypertensive properties in animal models, with very few species subjected to analytical processes to reveal the identity of their bioactive antihypertensive compounds. In this review, we hope to encourage researchers and global research institutions (universities, agricultural research councils, and medical research councils), particularly those showing an interest in natural products, for the need for concerted efforts to undertake more studies aimed at revealing the untapped potential of these plants. These studies are very important for the development of new pharmaceuticals of natural origin useful for the management of hypertension.

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