Leaf Extract of Nerium oleander L. Inhibits Cell Proliferation, Migration and Arrest of Cell Cycle at G2/M Phase in HeLa Cervical Cancer Cell

Potential Anti-Tumorigenic Properties of Diverse Medicinal Plants against the Majority of Common Types of Cancer

Globally, cancer is one of the primary causes of both morbidity and mortality. To prevent cancer from getting worse, more targeted and efficient treatment plans must be developed immediately. Recent research has demonstrated the benefits of natural products for several illnesses, and these products have played a significant role in the development of novel treatments whose bioactive components serve as both chemotherapeutic and chemo-preventive agents. Phytochemicals are naturally occurring molecules obtained from plants that have potential applications in both cancer therapy and the development of new medications. These phytochemicals function by regulating the molecular pathways connected to the onset and progression of cancer. Among the specific methods are immune system control, inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, preventing proliferation, raising antioxidant status, and inactivating carcinogens. A thorough literature review was conducted using Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, Google Patent, Patent Scope, and US Patent to obtain the data. To provide an overview of the anticancer effects of several medicinal plants, including Annona muricata, Arctium lappa, Arum palaestinum, Cannabis sativa, Catharanthus roseus, Curcuma longa, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Hibiscus, Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, Moringa oleifera, Nerium oleander, Silybum marianum, Taraxacum officinale, Urtica dioica, Withania somnifera L., their availability, classification, active components, pharmacological activities, signaling mechanisms, and potential side effects against the most common cancer types were explored.

Molecular Modes of Action of an Aqueous Nerium oleander Extract in Cancer Cells In Vitro and In Vivo

Cancer drug resistance remains a major obstacle in clinical oncology. As most anticancer drugs are of natural origin, we investigated the anticancer potential of a standardized cold-water leaf extract from Nerium oleander L., termed Breastin. The phytochemical characterization by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and low- and high-resolution mass spectrometry revealed several monoglycosidic cardenolides as major constituents (adynerin, neritaloside, odoroside A, odoroside H, oleandrin, and vanderoside). Breastin inhibited the growth of 14 cell lines from hematopoietic tumors and 5 of 6 carcinomas. Remarkably, the cellular responsiveness of odoroside H and neritaloside was not correlated with all other classical drug resistance mechanisms, i.e., ATP-binding cassette transporters (ABCB1, ABCB5, ABCC1, ABCG2), oncogenes (EGFR, RAS), tumor suppressors (TP53, WT1), and others (GSTP1, HSP90, proliferation rate), in 59 tumor cell lines of the National Cancer Institute (NCI, USA), indicating that Breastin may indeed bypass drug resistance. COMPARE analyses with 153 anticancer agents in 74 tumor cell lines of the Oncotest panel revealed frequent correlations of Breastin with mitosis-inhibiting drugs. Using tubulin-GFP-transfected U2OS cells and confocal microscopy, it was found that the microtubule-disturbing effect of Breastin was comparable to that of the tubulin-depolymerizing drug paclitaxel. This result was verified by a tubulin polymerization assay in vitro and molecular docking in silico. Proteome profiling of 3171 proteins in the NCI panel revealed protein subsets whose expression significantly correlated with cellular responsiveness to odoroside H and neritaloside, indicating that protein expression profiles can be identified to predict the sensitivity or resistance of tumor cells to Breastin constituents. Breastin moderately inhibited breast cancer xenograft tumors in vivo. Remarkably, in contrast to what was observed with paclitaxel monotherapy, the combination of paclitaxel and Breastin prevented tumor relapse, indicating Breastin's potential for drug combination regimens.

Review On Documented Medicinal Plants Used For The Treatment Of Cancer

Background:

Cancer is a frightful disease and it is the second leading cause of death worldwide. Naturally derived compounds are gaining interest of research workers as they have less toxic side effects as compared to currently used treatments such as chemotherapy. Plants are the pool of chemical compounds which provides a promising future for research on cancer.

Objective:

This review paper provides updated information gathered on medicinal plants and isolated phytoconstituents used as anticancer agents and summarises the plant extracts and their isolated chemical constituents exhibiting anticancer potential on clinical trials.

Methods:

An extensive bibliographic investigation was carried out by analysing worldwide established scientific databases like SCOPUS, PUBMED, SCIELO, ScienceDirect, Springerlink, Web of Science, Wiley, SciFinder and Google Scholar etc. In next few decades, herbal medicine may become a new epoch of medical system.

Results:

Many researches are going on medicinal plants for the treatment of cancer but it is a time to increase further experimental studies on plant extracts and their chemical constituents to find out their mechanism of action at molecular level.

Conclusion:

The article may help many researchers to start off further experimentation that might lead to the drugs for the cancer treatment.