title: Antineoplastic potential of medicinal plants.
abstract: Cancer is one of the most dreaded diseases worldwide and the incidence is on the rise in both developing and developed countries. It is treated by chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery. In spite of advances in treatment strategies, cancer still remains a major cause of death. Research is on for development of better drugs which are more effective and simultaneously cause fewer side effects. Plants have been used for the treatment of various ailments of man and animals since ages. They are being screened extensively to explore the possibility of development of economically viable anticancer drugs. Natural products of plant origin currently constitute a considerable proportion of commercially available antineoplastic drugs. This review gives an insight into commercially available anticancer drugs of plant origin and also patents granted to plant derived components, extracts and polyherbal formulations possessing anticancer activity. The exhaustive work reviewed here on antineoplastic activity of various plants both in vitro and experimental models throughout the world will help design further research in this field.
authors.affiliation: Biochemistry Section, Division of Animal Biotechnology, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar 243 122, UP, India.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shynu
authors.forename: P K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000187:drug effects; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects; D005503:Food Additives / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D009857:Oncogenes; D010330:Patents as Topic; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry*; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins / Q000819:agonists / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D005503:Food Additives; D010936:Plant Extracts; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins