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Medicinal Plants as Potential Source of Anticancer Agents: A Review

Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, 2016

Cancer is a major public health burden in both developed and developing countries. Anticancer activity is the effect of natural and synthetic or biological and chemical agents to reverse, suppress or prevent carcinogenic progression. Several synthetic agents are used to cure the disease but they have their toxicity and hence the research is going on to investigate the plant derived chemotherapeutic agents. Therefore an attempt has been made to review some medicinal plants having anticancer properties. In this review, anticancer medicinal plants of Indian origin belonging to various families are reported along with detailed information. All these plants are potential candidates for advanced studies since they are showing good anticancer activity. The present paper is a comprehensive review of different literature sources. It will be helpful to explore the medicinal value of the plants against the cancer and for the new drug discovery from them for the researchers and scientists around the world.

A comprehensive review on anti-cancer medicinal plants

2019

Cancer is a major health concern and one of the leading causes of death around the globe. Medicinal plants contain numerous phytochemicals and their usefulness for the treatment of cancer has been proven scientifically. The current review is aimed to provide a comprehensive knowledge about the herbal plants with established anti-cancer activity. For this study, different databases were used, including: PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus and MEDLINE and literature search were done without any year limit. Studies have reported that numerous classes of phytochemicals have tumor inhibitory effect and these could be used for the cure of cancer. In this era, where the drug development process and its subsequent marketing and surveillance often take decades, the emerging evidence of the beneficial anti-cancer properties of plants have proved to be a mercy. There is need to explore more about the mechanism of action of phytochemicals having anti-cancer properties and further to ensure the medicinal plants safety and efficacy to justify their rational use for the treatment and management of the cancer.

Traditionally Used Medicinal Plants with Anticancer Effect: A Review

International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Review and Research, 2020

Cancer is the second major cause of death after cardiovascular diseases. It is a group of many closely related diseases. Several synthetic drugs are used to cure this disease but they have their toxicity and hence a number of research activities is going on to investigate the natural plant derived chemotherapeutic agents. More than 50% of modern drugs in clinical use are of natural agents. In recent years owing to the concern of side effects people prefer more and more use of natural plant products for cancer. For these reasons, World Health Organization (WHO) supports the use of traditional medicines which are efficacious and less toxic compared with conventional agents. The basic aim of this review is to highlight on the potential of newly discovered anticancer compounds from traditional medicinal plants to be used as leads for anticancer drug development. 85 different plant sources have been listed in the present review along with the phytoconstituents present in these plants possessing anticancer potential. The present paper is a comprehensive review of different literature sources. It will be helpful to explore the medicinal value of the herbal plants against the cancer and for the new drug discovery from them for the researchers and scientists around the world.

Herbal plants used in treatment of cancer

India is the largest producer of medicinal plants and is rightly called the "Botanical garden of the World". The medicinal plants, besides having natural therapeutic values against various diseases, also provide high quality of food and raw materials for livelihood. Considerable works have been done on these plants to treat cancer, and some plant products have been marketed as anticancer drugs, based on the traditional uses and scientific reports. These plants may promote host resistance against infection by re-stabilizing body equilibrium and conditioning the body tissues. Several reports describe that the anticancer activity of medicinal plants is due to the presence of antioxidants in them. In fact, the medicinal plants are easily available, cheaper and possess no toxicity as compared to the modern (allopathic) drugs. Thus, the various combinations of the active components of these plants after isolation and identification can be made and have to be further assessed for their synergistic effects. Preparation of standardized dose and dosage regimen may play a critical role in the remedy of cancer. The rate with which cancer is progressing, it seems to have an urgent and effective effort for making good health of humans as well as animals. There is a broad scope to derive the potent anticancer agents from medicinal plants, which need thorough research.

Medicinal Plants for Treatment of Cancer: A Brief Review

Pharmacognosy Journal, 2016

Cancer is actually a group of many related diseases that all have to do with cells. Cancer cells are characterized by unregulated growth, as well as insufficient and inappropriate vascular supply. Moreover, a core of cells was subjected to micro environmental stress conditions, and has decreased apoptotic potential through genetic alterations, thereby resulting in resistance to apoptosis. Cancer is one of the major causes of death worldwide where the number of cancer patients is in continuous rise. Cancer is a major public problem whose estimated worldwide new incidence is about 6 million cases per year. It is the second major cause of deaths after cardiovascular diseases. Chemotherapy remains the principal mode of treatment for various cancers. A number of synthetic anticancer drugs are available in practice, but the side effects and the drug interactions are major drawbacks in its clinical utility. Most of the currently used chemotherapy drugs for cancers are known to develop resistance, exhibit non-selective toxicity against normal cells and restrict by dose-limiting side effects. Hence, cancer treatment and development of drugs for this disease remains a major clinical challenge. On the other hand, plants are an exceptionally viable source of biologically active natural products which may serve as commercially significant entities in themselves or which may provide lead structures for the development of modified derivatives possessing enhanced activity and/or reduced toxicity in traeatment of cancer. Herbal medicines are now attracting attention as potential sources of anticancer agents and are widely used due to availability of the materials, affordability, relatively cheap and little or no side effects, wide applicability and therapeutic efficacy which in turn has accelerated the scientific research. For these reasons, World Health Organization (WHO) supports the use of traditional medicines which are efficacious and non toxic. In this review we have summarized few plants having anticancer activity.

A REVIEW ON: ANTICANCER PLANTS

Cancer is major health problem in both developed and developing countries. Cancer after cardiovascular disease is the second leading cause of death. Cancer is the abnormal growth of cells in our bodies that can lead to death. Because of high death rate associated with cancer and because of serious side effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy, many cancer patients seek alternative complementary methods of treatment. Medicinal herbs play an important role in primary health care system among rural population since synthetic anti-cancer remedies are beyond the reach of common man because of the cost factor. The herbal medicines have a vital role in the prevention and treatment of cancer which execute their therapeutic effect by inhibiting cancer activating enzymes and hormones, stimulating DNA repair mechanism, promoting production of protective enzymes inducing anti-oxidant action and enhancing immunity Key Words: Medicinal Herb,Chemotherapy,Complementary Methods.

Anticancerous Potential of Medicinal Plants- a Review

World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, 2017

Cancer is a major public health burden in both developed and developing countries and globally the numbers of cancer patients are increasing day by day. There are several medicines available in the market to treat the various types of cancer but no drug is found to be fully effective and safe. So the anticancer activity of certain natural products and their analogs are being explored. Diverse efficient compounds derived from natural products have been isolated as anticancer agents. These chemical compounds are formulated with a view to create effective drugs against cancer. This review focuses on some medicinal plants used for treating cancer. The phytochemical exploration of these plants will make significant contribution to the discovery of new anticancer drugs. In recent years, owing to the fear of side effects, people prefer to use natural plant products for cancer treatment. Although drug discovery from medicinal plants continues to provide an important source of safe drugs, numerous challenges are encountered including the procurement of plant materials and their selection. This paper reviews wide array of promising bioactive compounds obtained from various medicinal plants and their potential therapeutic uses.

A Review of Medicinal Plants Effective in the Treatment or Apoptosis of Cancer Cells

The Cancer Press, 2017

Cancer in our country is the most important public health problem. In addition to lifestyle changes and population aging, cancer seems to be much more important in the future (1). medicinal plants are traditionally used to treat many ailments, including cancer and related diseases. Cancer is characterized as a condition with complex signs and symptoms. It has been recommended that ethnopharmacological usages such as immune and skin disorders, inflammatory, infectious, parasitic and viral diseases should be taken into account when selecting plants for anticancer screenings, since these reflect disease states bearing relevance to cancer or cancer-like symptoms (2). By definition, 'traditional' use of herbal medicines implies substantial historical use, and this is certainly true for many products that are available as 'traditional herbal medicines'. In many developing countries, a large proportion of the population relies on traditional practitioners and their armamentarium of medicinal plants in order to meet health care needs. Although modern medicine may exist side-by Medicinal herbs in various fields of medicine, industry, food and agriculture applications. In the field of medicine and therapy for the treatment of cancer researchers hope many medicinal plants. Plants, herbs, and ethnobotanicals have been used since the early days of humankind and are still used throughout the world for health promotion and treatment of disease. Plants and natural sources form the basis of today's modern medicine and contribute largely to the commercial drug preparations manufactured today. About 25% of drugs prescribed worldwide are derived from plants. Still, herbs, rather than drugs, are often used in health care. For some, herbal medicine is their preferred method of treatment. Today, natural antioxidants are the focus of considerable attention and efforts are ongoing for the replacement of synthetic ones. In addition, these natural antioxidants can be formulated as functional foods and can help prevent oxidative damage from occurring in the body. Due to the side effects of drugs and chemicals in countries around the world, including developed countries are thinking about changing pattern of drug use of chemical plant. Some active drug substances which are very important in the pharmaceutical industry, is impossible to artificially produce only natural as Astkhrajand plants. Although synthetic medicines to improve patients more quickly and has an adverse effect on the human body Mshkhsand but most of them can have side effects. In this study, we report and review of some medicinal plants effective in the treatment of cancer or other diseases discussed.

Medicinal Plants Against Cancer

2018

“Medicinal plants are the valuable flora which possess active chemical constituents in any of their part(s) and when used in the treatment of various ailments; create a physiological response.” Since time immemorial the practice of using medicinal plants is prevalent in countries like China, India, Japan, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Thailand (Hamayun et al. 2006a; Ahmad 2007). The earliest records regarding the use of medicinal plants are obtained from Mesopotamian civilizations and are as old as 2600 BC (Gurib-Fakim 2006). History shows that plants with medicinal properties had been in use in Assyrians, Babylonians, Chinese, Greeks, and Hebrews civilizations (Hamayun 2007). Furthermore, people in rural areas have always used native plants and herbs as medicines (Shinwari and Khan 2000) partly due to the wide gap of educational, research, and health facilities between the rural and urban areas and partly because of socioeconomic issues (Hamayun et al. 2006b). The mid of twentieth century witnessed an advancement in various fields of life and simultaneously the use of synthetic chemical compounds for therapeutic purposes became widespread (Hamayun et al. 2006a). However, in a short time, the worth of medicinal plants came to spotlight again when the researchers failed to produce comparatively affordable and safe medicines and thus herbal medicine experienced a revival especially in Western society. It is still in practice throughout the world along with corresponding therapies such as traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), homeopathy, and osteopathy (Hamayun et al. 2006b). According to an estimate, 20,000 species of plants are used throughout the world for medicinal purposes (Hamayun 2007) and 50% of all the clinically used drugs are obtained from natural products and their derivatives (Gurib-Fakim 2006; Rosangkima and Prasad 2004). World Health Organization (WHO) reckons that 80% of the world’s population depends on plants for health services (Shinwari and Gilani 2003; Saumya et al. n.d.; Madhuri and Pandey 2008) and in developed countries 25% of all medicines prescribed contain ingredients derived from medicinal plants (Qureshi et al. 2009). Cancer is the second leading cause of death after cardiovascular diseases worldwide (Jackson 2000). According to American Cancer Society, 3500 million people are killed every year from cancer (American Cancer Society n.d.). Cancer is defined as “a group of diseases that are characterized by the presence of malignant cells which proliferate in an unrestricted manner and ultimately invade the tissues and disseminate the organs (metastasis) to form secondary areas of growth known as secondary tumors” (Moura et al. 2001). According to National Cancer Institute (NCI), 35,000 species of plants out of 250,000–350,000 are used for anti-cancerous purposes worldwide whereas, in Pakistan, 400–600 out of 6000 species of wild plants are considered to be of medicinal worth (Hamayun 2007). Saumya reported that 60% of anti-cancerous drugs used clinically are obtained from natural sources (Saumya et al. n.d.). After many years of extensive research on medicinal plants possessing chemotherapeutic properties (Aphanamixis polystachya, Alhagi pseudalhagi, Annona squamosa, Calamus rotang, Cirsium rhinoceros, Terminalia arjuna, Euphorbia jolkini, Polygonum cuspidatum, Myrica rubra Sieb et Zucc, Centella asiatica, Bupleurum kaoi, Ochrosia elliptica Labill, Stephania tetrandra, Ophiorrhiza mungos, Ornithogalum umbellatum, Taxus brevifolia, Tabernaemontana divaricata, Paederia scandens, Elephantopus scaber, Impatiens balsamina, Coix lachryma, Rhei Rhizoma, Taxus wallichiana, Moringa oleifera, Vitex negundo, and many others) (Kuo et al. 2005a), scientists were successful in the discovery of anethol, allicin, catechins, curcumin, capsaicin, diallyl sulfide, ellagic acid, eugenol, genistein, lycopene, resveratrol, silymarin, S-allyl cysteine, 6-gingerol, ursolic acid, and other such compounds (Saumya et al. n.d.) with anti-cancerous properties. The discovery of anti-cancerous compounds met success when North American medicinal plants successfully completed clinical trials and were marketed for use. These plants were licensed for use in ovarian cancer (Taxus brevifolia), leukemia, lymphoma, and lung and testicular cancer (Podophyllum peltatum) (Gurib-Fakim 2006). Medicinal plants and their derivatives are effective, economical, and safe with negligible side effects (Hamayun et al. 2006b; Feng et al. 2005; Rahmawati et al. 2006). Furthermore, they are more accessible (Feng et al. 2005), have better compatibility (Kamboj 2000), and are highly acceptable (Feng et al. 2005; Ghimire et al. 2005) with respect to cultural, ethical, and historical issues. A thorough review of literature shows that countless medicinal plants have been exploited for their antitumor and anticancer potential. This chapter highlights some of the renowned anti-cancerous plants and the mechanism of action of their active constituents as expounded by research. The parts found to be effective for different ailments are summarized in Table 1.