Xanthorrhizol: a review of its pharmacological activities and anticancer properties.
Xanthorrhizol (XNT) is a bisabolane-type sesquiterpenoid compound extracted from Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb. It has been well established to possess a variety of biological activities such as anticancer, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antihyperglycemic, antihypertensive, antiplatelet, nephroprotective, hepatoprotective, estrogenic and anti-estrogenic effects. Since many synthetic drugs possess toxic side effects and are unable to support the increasing prevalence of disease, there is significant interest in developing natural product as new therapeutics. XNT is a very potent natural bioactive compound that could fulfil the current need for new drug discovery. Despite its importance, a comprehensive review of XNT's pharmacological activities has not been published in the scientific literature to date. Here, the present review aims to summarize the available information in this area, focus on its anticancer properties and indicate the current status of the research. This helps to facilitate the understanding of XNT's pharmacological role in drug discovery, thus suggesting areas where further research is required.
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia-UPM, 43400 Serdang, Selangor Malaysia.
Seok Fang
SF
Oon
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia-UPM, 43400 Serdang, Selangor Malaysia.
Meenakshii
M
Nallappan
ZACH Biotech Depot Sdn. Bhd., 43300 Cheras, Selangor Malaysia.
Thiam Tsui
TT
Tee
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia-UPM, 43400 Serdang, Selangor Malaysia.
Shamarina
S
Shohaimi
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia-UPM, 43400 Serdang, Selangor Malaysia.
Nur Kartinee
NK
Kassim
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia-UKM, 43600 Bangi, Selangor Malaysia.
Mohd Shazrul Fazry
MS
Sa'ariwijaya
ZACH Biotech Depot Sdn. Bhd., 43300 Cheras, Selangor Malaysia.
Yew Hoong
YH
Cheah
Anticancer; Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb.; Pharmacological; Xanthorrhizol