title: Medicinal Plants and Other Living Organisms with Antitumor Potential against Lung Cancer.
abstract: Lung cancer is a disease with high morbidity and mortality rates. As a result, it is often associated with a significant amount of suffering and a general decrease in the quality of life. Herbal medicines are recognized as an attractive approach to lung cancer therapy with little side effects and are a major source of new drugs. The aim of this work was to review the medicinal plants and other living organisms with antitumor potential against lung cancer. The assays were conducted with animals and humans, and Lewis lung carcinoma was the most used experimental model. China, Japan, South Korea, and Ethiopia were the countries that most published studies of species with antitumor activity. Of the 38 plants evaluated, 27 demonstrated antitumor activity. In addition, six other living organisms were cited for antitumor activity against lung cancer. Mechanisms of action, combination with chemotherapeutic drugs, and new technologies to increase activity and reduce the toxicity of the treatment are discussed. This review was based on the NAPRALERT databank, Web of Science, and Chemical Abstracts. This work shows that natural products from plants continue to be a rich source of herbal medicines or biologically active compounds against cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Paraiba, 58051-900 João Pessoa, PB, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luara de Sousa
authors.initials: Lde S
authors.lastname: Monteiro
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Paraiba, 58051-900 João Pessoa, PB, Brazil.
authors.forename: Katherine Xavier
authors.initials: KX
authors.lastname: Bastos
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Paraiba, 58051-900 João Pessoa, PB, Brazil.
authors.forename: José Maria
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Barbosa-Filho
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Paraiba, 58051-900 João Pessoa, PB, Brazil.
authors.forename: Petrônio Filgueiras
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: de Athayde-Filho
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Paraiba, 58051-900 João Pessoa, PB, Brazil.
authors.forename: Margareth de Fátima Formiga Melo
authors.initials: Mde F
authors.lastname: Diniz
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Paraiba, 58051-900 João Pessoa, PB, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marianna Vieira
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Sobral