title: Withania somnifera Dunal (Ashwagandha): potential plant source of a promising drug for cancer chemotherapy and radiosensitization.
abstract: Study of antitumor and radiosensitizing properties of W. somnifera (Ashwagandha), a well known medicinal plant, have yielded encouraging results. The alcoholic extract of the dried roots of the plant as well as the active component withaferin A isolated from the extract showed significant antitumor and radiosensitizing effects in experimental tumors in vivo, without any noticeable systemic toxicity. Withaferin A gave a sensitizer enhancement ratio of 1.5 for in vitro cell killing of V79 Chinese hamster cells at a non toxic concentration of approximately 2 microM. The mechanism of action of this compound is not known. The studies so far indicate that W. somnifera could prove to be a good natural source of a potent and relatively safe radiosensitizer/chemotherapeutic agent. Further studies are needed to explore the clinical potential of this plant for cancer therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiobiology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, India.
authors.forename: P U
authors.initials: PU
authors.lastname: Devi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology; D002460:Cell Line; D006224:Cricetinae; D004875:Ergosterol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D008515:Medicine, Ayurvedic; D051379:Mice; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry*; D011838:Radiation-Sensitizing Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology; D012510:Sarcoma 180 / Q000188:drug therapy; D054358:Withanolides
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D011838:Radiation-Sensitizing Agents; D054358:Withanolides; C009684:withaferin A; D004875:Ergosterol