scholarly journals Anticancer effects of Melissa officinalis: A traditional medicine

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Parviz Faraji ◽  
Mostafa Araj-Khodaei ◽  
Maryam Ghaffari ◽  
Jafar Ezzati Nazhad Dolatabadi

Melissa officinalis (M. officinalis) is an herbal-based plant from the family of Lamiaceae and native to Europe and the Mediterranean region, widely used to cure various cancers. Phytochemical investigations proved different compounds such as polyphenolic compounds, flavonoids, and essential oil in the stem and leaves of M. officinalis as main ingredients contributing to different antitumor activity, including antiproliferation and antioxidant antiangiogenetic, antimigratory, antiapoptotic, and change in cell cycle profile of cancer cells. Herbal formulations with colorful ingredients use several types of these mentioned biological processes to display synergistic cancer treatment activities. M. officinalis extracts a wide range from water to ethanol using varied mechanisms to reduce the viability of cancer cells. Hence, scientists are currently interested in evaluating these extracts based on the medical plant to minimize the adverse effects of conventional anti-cancer drugs and discover these mechanisms to pave the way for future studies. This review aimed to discuss the recent studies that M. officinalis have used as an anti-cancer agent to investigate its potential effect on several types of cancer. Therefore, after a short introduction of M. officinalis, we will explain the several biological processes by which M. officinalis exert an anti-cancer effect.

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 849-854
Author(s):  
Siew Ching Ngai

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is a natural protein expressed in a wide range of tissues in our body. It is a promising anti-cancer agent due to its selective killing of cancer cells, rendering normal cells unharmed. However, resistance occurs either intrinsically or develops over the course of TRAIL treatment. In view of its specificity to cancer cells, there is a pushing need to overcome TRAIL resistance. Curcumin (Cur), a natural active constituent of turmeric, has been evidenced to have anti-cancer properties. However, it is limited by its sparing solubility and low bioavailability. Combinational therapy is one of the most frequently used strategies to overcome these limitations, which has been proved to be more effective than monotherapy by achieving synergistic effects and reducing toxicity. This review aims to discuss TRAIL and its underlying apoptotic mechanisms, the combinational treatment of Cur and TRAIL in view of their respective limitations, and the underlying apoptotic mechanisms activated by the sensitization of cancers by Cur towards TRAIL-induced apoptosis. Finally, this review discusses the research gap and the author’s insight into this research area in bridging the research gap from bench to bedside.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (13) ◽  
pp. 3888
Author(s):  
Boon-Peng Puah ◽  
Juriyati Jalil ◽  
Ali Attiq ◽  
Yusof Kamisah

Lycopene is a well-known compound found commonly in tomatoes which brings wide range of health benefits against cardiovascular diseases and cancers. From an anti-cancer perspective, lycopene is often associated with reduced risk of prostate cancer and people often look for it as a dietary supplement which may help to prevent cancer. Previous scientific evidence exhibited that the anti-cancer activity of lycopene relies on its ability to suppress oncogene expressions and induce proapoptotic pathways. To further explore the real potential of lycopene in cancer prevention, this review discusses the new insights and perspectives on the anti-cancer activities of lycopene which could help to drive new direction for research. The relationship between inflammation and cancer is being highlighted, whereby lycopene suppresses cancer via resolution of inflammation are also discussed herein. The immune system was found to be a part of the anti-cancer system of lycopene as it modulates immune cells to suppress tumor growth and progression. Lycopene, which is under the family of carotenoids, was found to play special role in suppressing lung cancer.


Author(s):  
Emdormi Rymbai ◽  

Plants are an important source of natural products and they play a vital role in the field of medicinal chemistry and pharmaceutical science. Traditional medicines have been practiced and used for thousands of years, mostly in Asian countries, where plants are the main sources of medicine. Houttuynia cordata, a herb that belongs to the family Saururaceae, has a wide range of pharmacological activities and is used traditionally in conditions like anisolobis sores, heatstroke, lung carbuncles, malaria, scrotal abscess, tonsillitis, salammoniac poison and has also been widely accepted to possess anti-cancer, anti-oxidant, anti-hypertension, anti-inflammatory, anti-mutagenic, antibacterial, anti-viral and anti-purulent activity. Moreover, it is one of the herbs that was recognized during pandemic outbreaks, such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS CoV) in China, virulent Newcastle Disease Virus (VNDV) in Java (Indonesia) and Newcastle (England). In this review, we briefly discuss the role of H. cordata as an anti-viral agent and the possibility of developing a dosage form against Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19).


Cancers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 2448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan Lyu ◽  
Steven Kopcho ◽  
Folnetti A. Alvarez ◽  
Bryson C. Okeoma ◽  
Chioma M. Okeoma

BST-2 is a novel driver of cancer progression whose expression confers oncogenic properties to breast cancer cells. As such, targeting BST-2 in tumors may be an effective therapeutic approach against breast cancer. Here, we sought to develop potent cytotoxic anti-cancer agent using the second-generation BST-2-based anti-adhesion peptide, B18, as backbone. To this end, we designed a series of five B18-derived peptidomimetics. Among these, B18L, a cationic amphiphilic α-helical peptidomimetic, was selected as the drug lead because it displayed superior anti-cancer activity against both drug-resistant and drug-sensitive cancer cells, with minimal toxicity on normal cells. Probing mechanism of action using molecular dynamics simulations, biochemical and membrane biophysics studies, we observed that B18L binds BST-2 and possesses membranolytic characteristics. Furthermore, molecular biology studies show that B18L dysregulates cancer signaling pathways resulting in decreased Src and Erk1/2 phosphorylation, increased expression of pro-apoptotic Bcl2 proteins, caspase 3 cleavage products, as well as processing of the caspase substrate, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1), to the characteristic apoptotic fragment. These data indicate that through the coordinated regulation of membrane, mitochondrial and signaling events, B18L executes cancer cell death and thus has the potential to be developed into a potent and selective anti-cancer compound.


Blood ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 108 (11) ◽  
pp. 3483-3483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard A. Campbell ◽  
Eric Sanchez ◽  
Haiming Chen ◽  
Lauren Turker ◽  
Olivia Trac ◽  
...  

Abstract Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors represent a new mechanistic class of anti-cancer therapeutics that inhibit HDAC enzymes and have been shown to have anti-proliferative effects in cancer cells (including drug resistance subtypes), induce apoptosis, inhibit angiogenesis, and sensitize cancer cells when combined with other available anti-cancer therapies. PXD101 is a novel investigational small molecule drug that selectively inhibits HDAC enzymes. In recent preclinical studies, PXD101 has been shown to have the potential to treat a wide range of solid and hematological malignancies either as a monotherapy or in combination with other active agents. In this study, we evaluated the activity of PXD101 on multiple myeloma samples when used as monotherapy or in combination with the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib. In vitro experiments indicated that PXD101 pretreatment (20 mM; 3h) sensitized RPMI-8226 human multiple myeloma cells to subsequent bortezomib exposure (5 nM; 72h). To examine PXD101 and bortezomib in vivo, two mouse models of human multiple myeloma were utilized (LAGλ-1 and LAGκ-1B). LAGλ-1 was generated from a patient resistant to melphalan therapy and LAGκ-1B from a patient who progressed on bortezomib treatment (Campbell et al, International Journal of Oncology 2006). SCID mice were implanted with LAGλ-1 or LAGκ-1B tumor fragments into the left superficial gluteal muscle. Tumors were allowed to grow for 14 days at which time human IgG levels were detectable in the mouse serum, and mice were randomly assigned into treatment groups. Groups consisted of Vehicle only, PXD101 alone (40 mg/kg), bortezomib alone (0.5 mg/kg), or PXD101 (40 mg/kg) + bortezomib (0.5 mg/kg). In one cohort, PXD101 and bortezomib were administered twice weekly (M, Th) and in another cohort PXD101 was administered 5 days a week (M-F) and bortezomib twice weekly (M, Th). When administered, PXD101 was given i.p twice daily and bortezomib once daily intravenously. The results of these animal experiments will provide preclinical information on the activity of PXD101 monotherapy and PXD101/bortezomib combination therapy on drug-resistant myeloma samples, and may help to define the optimal schedule for potential clinical evaluation of this drug combination.


2012 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 1990-2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shih-Che Hua ◽  
Tien-Chun Chang ◽  
Hau-Ren Chen ◽  
Chieh-Hsiang Lu ◽  
Yi-Wen Liu ◽  
...  

2006 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 581-583 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suresh Awale ◽  
Eduardo M.N. Nakashima ◽  
Surya K. Kalauni ◽  
Yasuhiro Tezuka ◽  
Yukiko Kurashima ◽  
...  

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