Phytochemicals and biological activities of Ruta chalepensis L. growing in Tunisia

Chemical Composition, Antioxidant, and Antibacterial Activity of Ruta chalepensis L. Ethanolic Extract

Ruta chalepensis L. is a versatile herb used in culinary arts and traditional medicine. The study aimed to determine the chemical composition of an ethanolic extract from R. chalepensis and the total phenolic and flavonoid content. Additionally, the extracts' antimicrobial and antioxidant activities were tested. The disc diffusion method and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) were used to test the antibacterial properties on four types of bacteria: Escherichia coli, Proteus penneri, Bacillus cereus, and Staphylococcus aureus. A colorimetric assay was used to evaluate the total phenolic and flavonoid content, and the DPPH method was used to assess the antioxidant activity. The phytochemical constituents were determined using LC-MS/MS. The results indicated that R. chalepensis ethanolic extract had 34 compounds, and the predominant compounds were quercetin (9.2 %), myricetin (8.8 %), and camphene (8.0 %). Moreover, the extract had a good level of polyphenols and flavonoids, as demonstrated by inhibiting free radicals (DPPH) (IC50 was 41.2±0.1). Also, the extract exhibited robust antimicrobial activity against P. penneri and S. aureus with an MIC of 12.5 and 25.0 μg/mL, respectively. In conclusion, the results suggest that the R. chalepensis ethanolic extract has good antioxidant and antibacterial properties that could be utilized to develop new antibacterial agents.

Ruta chalepensis L. In Vitro Cultures as a Source of Bioactive Furanocoumarins and Furoquinoline Alkaloids

Recently, due to the decreasing areas of cultivation and climate change, the use of biotechnological methods to obtain biomass, which is a source of valuable bioactive metabolites, is becoming more and more interesting. In this study, Ruta chalepensis in vitro cultures were investigated in RITA^® temporary immersion bioreactors. Biomass growth and the production of secondary metabolites in 4- and 5-week growth cycles on three variants of the Linsmaier and Skoog (LS) medium (naphthyl-1-acetic acid/6-benzylaminopurine (NAA/BAP): 0.5/1.0, 0.1/0.1, and 1.0/1.0 mg/L) were analyzed. Using high-performance liquid chromatography of methanolic extracts of biomass, the presence of linear furanocoumarins (bergapten, isoimperatorin, isopimpinellin, psoralen, and xanthotoxin) and furoquinoline alkaloids (γ-fagarine, 7-isopentenyloxy-γ-fagarine, and skimmianine) was confirmed. The highest content of linear furanocoumarins (1170 mg/100 g DW (dry weight)) was observed in the LS medium variant containing 0.5/1.0 mg/L NAA/BAP (4-week growth cycle). The highest content of furoquinoline alkaloids (449 mg/100 g DW) was observed in the LS medium variant containing 0.1/0.1 mg/L NAA/BAP (5-week growth cycle). Hence, R. chalepensis bioreactor cultures may be used as a biotechnological source of linear furanocoumarins (xanthotoxin and bergapten) and furoquinoline alkaloids (skimmianine and γ-fagarine).

Phenolic Characterization Using cLC-DAD Analysis and Evaluation of In Vitro and In Vivo Pharmacological Activities of Ruta tuberculata Forssk

The perennial aromatic plant Ruta tuberculata Forssk (Rutaceae) has been traditionally used by Mediterranean peoples as folk medicine against several types of disease to treat diverse illness. The objective of this work is to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo pharmacological activities of the aqueous (RAE) and methanolic (MeOH) 80% (RME) extracts of Algerian R. tuberculata aerial parts. Antioxidant potential, neuro-protective and anti-arthritic activities were investigated in vitro using six antioxidant approaches and by determining acetyl-cholinesterase and bovine albumin denaturation inhibitory capacities, respectively. Furthermore, in vivo anti-ulcer and anti-inflammatory activities were evaluated on EtOH-induced gastric mucosal damage and carrageenan-induced paw edema models in mice. Moreover, bio-compounds’ contents were also quantified using spectrophotometric and cLC-DAD methods. Both in vivo and in vitro investigations showed remarkable antioxidant activity of Ruta tuberculata Forssk, while methanolic extract (RME) of Ruta tuberculata Forssk exhibited more significant neuro-protective and anti-inflammatory effects. However, the antiulcer activity was more pronounced with RAE of R. tuberculata, which suggests that this plant can be considered as a natural resource of potent bioactive compounds that may act as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents, which underlines the importance of incorporating them in therapies in order to treat various diseases linked to oxidative stress, and they may also provide crucial data for the development of new anticholinesterase drugs to improve neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s.

Callus-Mediated High-Frequency Plant Regeneration, Phytochemical Profiling, Antioxidant Activity and Genetic Stability in Ruta chalepensis L

Efficient methods for callus induction and the high-frequency plant regeneration of Ruta chalepensis L. were established, and the phytochemical potential and antioxidant activity of a donor plant, ex-vitro-established micropropagated plants, and callus were also studied. Yellowish-green callus was induced with a frequency of 97.8% from internode shoot segments of the donor plant growing in soil in the botanical garden cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing 10 μM 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) and 1 μM BA (6-benzyladenine). Adventitious shoots were regenerated from the yellowish-green callus on MS medium containing 5.0 μM (BA) and 1.0 μM 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), with a regeneration frequency of 98.4% and a maximum of 54.6 shoots with an average length of 4.5 cm after 8 weeks. The regenerated shoots were rooted in a medium containing 1.0 μM IBA (indole-3-butyric acid) and successfully transferred to ex vitro conditions in pots containing normal garden soil, with a 95% survival rate. The amounts of alkaloids, phenolics, flavonoids, tannins, and antioxidant activity of the ex-vitro-established micropropagated plants were higher than in the donor plant and callus. The highest contents of hesperidin and rutin (93.3 and 55.9 µg/mg, respectively) were found in the ex-vitro-established micropropagated plants compared to those obtained from the donor plant (91.4 and 31.0 µg/mg, respectively) and callus (59.1 and 21.6 µg/mg, respectively). The genetic uniformity of the ex-vitro-established micropropagated plants was appraised by the ISSR markers and compared with the donor plant. This is the first report describing the callus-mediated plant regeneration, as well as the production of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activities in R. chalepensis, which might be a potential alternative technique for the mass propagation and synthesis of bioactive compounds such as hesperidin and rutin.

Phytochemical Characterization, and Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Properties of Agitated Cultures of Three Rue Species: Ruta chalepensis, Ruta corsica, and Ruta graveolens

The in vitro cultures of the following three species of the genus Ruta were investigated: R. chalepensis, R. corsica, and R. graveolens. The dynamics of biomass growth and accumulation of secondary metabolites in the 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, and 7-week growth cycle were analysed. The antioxidant capacity of the methanol extracts obtained from the biomass of the in vitro cultures was also assessed by different in vitro assays: 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazil (DPPH), reducing power, and Fe²⁺ chelating activity assays. Moreover, a preliminary screening of the antimicrobial potential of the extracts was performed. The extracts were phytochemically characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), which highlighted the presence of linear furanocoumarins (bergapten, isoimperatorin, isopimpinellin, psoralen, and xanthotoxin) and furoquinoline alkaloids (γ-fagarine, 7-isopentenyloxy-γ-fagarine, and skimmianine). The dominant group of compounds in all the cultures was coumarins (maximum content 1031.5 mg/100 g DW (dry weight), R. chalepensis, 5-week growth cycle). The results of the antioxidant tests showed that the extracts of the three species had varied antioxidant capacity: in particular, the R. chalepensis extract exhibited the best radical scavenging activity (IC₅₀ = 1.665 ± 0.009 mg/mL), while the R. graveolens extract displayed the highest chelating property (IC₅₀ = 0.671 ± 0.013 mg/mL). Finally, all the extracts showed good activity against Staphylococcus aureus with MIC values of 250 μg/mL for the R. corsica extract and 500 μg/mL for both R. graveolens and R. chalepensis extracts.

Evaluation of the Antimalarial Activity of Ethanol Extracts of the Leaves of Three Plant Species Collected from Yayu Coffee Forest Biosphere Reserve, Southwest Ethiopia

Objective

In the attempt of searching for potential plant derived antimalarial medicines, the aim of the present study was to examine In vivo antimalarial efficacy of crude ethanol extracts of the leaves of Croton macrostachyus, Ruta chalepensis and Vernonia amygdalina using chloroquine (CQ) sensitive strains of Plasmodium berghei in Swiss albino mice.

Methods

To ascertain the safety level of the plant materials, crude extracts underwent oral acute toxicity assessments whereby mice received up to a single dose of 3000 mg/kg. Peter's four day standard antimalarial suppressive test was carried out to determine growth inhibition of parasitemia at tested doses of 400, 600, and 800 mg/kg of the extracts. Survival time of experimental mice and preliminary phytochemical screenings of the extracts were also done according to the standard procedures.

Results

Extracts of the plant materials did not produce severe acute toxic effects in mice that received up to 3000 mg/kg in a single dose. Although complete clearance was not recorded, extracts of the plant materials produced dose dependent suppression of the parasitemia. The highest growth inhibition recorded was by extract of V. amygdalina (61.44%) followed by C. macrostachyus (59.3%) at 800 mg/kg of tested doses. Whereas, complete parasitemia clearance was attributed in mice treated with 25 mg/kg of CQ. In addition, survival time of experimental mice was recorded and the result showed mice treated with the extracts lived longer than the corresponding negative controls. The phytochemical screening of the extracts revealed the presence of antimalarial active constituents such as alkaloids, saponins, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, terpenoids, steroids, phenols, and tannins.

Conclusion

The present study, therefore, suggests that crude ethanol extracts of C. macrostachyus, R. chalepensis, and V. amygdalina are safe and rich with active secondary metabolites which have promising antimalarial effects.

Botanical characteristics, phytochemistry and related biological activities of Rosa roxburghii Tratt fruit, and its potential use in functional foods: a review

Due to the growing global population, reduction in arable land and effects of climate change, incongruity between food supply and demand has become increasingly severe. Nowadays, with awareness of the elementary nutrients required for human growth, increasing attention is being paid to the health and medical functions of food. Along with increased food production achieved by modern agricultural techniques, underutilised functional foods are an important strategy for solving food security problems and maintaining the nutritional quality of the human diet. Rosa roxburghii Tratt (RRT) is a natural fruit that contains unique functional and nutritional constituents, which are characterised by a high anti-oxidant potential. This review summarises the biological characteristics, chemical composition, health-promoting properties and development status of RRT products to inspire investigations on the use of RRT fruit as a functional food, dietary supplement and pharmaceutical additive. The nutrients and functional ingredients of RRT fruit are described in detail to provide more reference information for nutritionists and pharmacists.

Pharmacological and toxicological effects of Ruta chalepensis L. on experimentally induced seizures and electroencephalographic spectral power in mice

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Ruta chalepensis L. (Rutaceae) is used in traditional medicine to treat a wide variety of disorders such as rheumatism, fever, mental disorders, dropsy, neuralgia, menstrual problems, anxiety, and epilepsy.

AIM OF THE STUDY

To evaluate and compare the anticonvulsant properties of an aqueous extract and ethyl acetate (AcOEt) fraction of R. chalepensis on pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced seizures and maximal electroshock (MES) test in mice, by analyzing behavior and electroencephalogram (EEG), as well as GABA_A receptors involvement.

METHODS

The effect of an acute administration of different dosage of the aqueous extract (300 or 500 mg/kg) or AcOEt fraction (100, 300, 500 or 1000 mg/kg) of R. chalepensis was explored on two different models of acute seizure induction in mice, the PTZ and maximal electroshock (MES) tests. Behavioral and electrographic effects were quantified. Additionally, the possible involvement of the GABA_A receptors was explored in the presence of picrotoxin (a non-competitive antagonist of the GABA_A receptor).

RESULTS

AcOEt fraction of R. chalepensis was more efficient than aqueous extract to reduce the incidence of tonic-clonic seizures and mortality in a significant and dose-dependent manner in both the PTZ and MES tests. This anticonvulsant effect was not abolished in the presence of picrotoxin. The EEG spectral power analysis revealed that aqueous extract decreased alpha and beta power, while AcOEt fraction decreased alpha and gamma power confirming previous findings of its depressant effect in the central nervous system. It is important to mention that the highest dosage of the AcOEt (1000 mg/kg) produced a severe suppression or isoelectric EEG activity (EEG flattening), recognized as a comatose state, suggesting a neurotoxic effect at this dosage.

CONCLUSION

Our data reinforce that depressant and anticonvulsant effects of R. chalepensis depend in part on the presence of constituents from medium polarity. We also found that anticonvulsant effect is not mediated by GABA_A receptors. In addition, cautious is emphasized when high doses of this natural product are used in traditional medicine since it might produce neurotoxic effects.

Genus Ruta: A natural source of high value products with biological and pharmacological properties

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Ruta genus is constituted by ten species, of which the most commonly described are R. chalepensis and R. graveolens. Ruta plants are perennial shrubs belonging to the family Rutaceae, which are traditionally used in folk medicine, since ancient times mostly for the treatment of various ailments of the womb.

AIM OF THE STUDY

To provide a review of the different uses of Ruta species in traditional medicine, as well as, on their multifactorial biological and pharmacological properties.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A search of the literature on genus Ruta and Ruta species was performed using various scientific databases and search engines and the information of articles were reviewed and compiled.

RESULTS

Different parts of the plants belonging to Ruta genus are used in folk medicine to treat a wide range of different diseases. The principal use of these is in gynaecological field, but the treatment of pain, fever, nausea, inflammation, infections, nervous disorders, among others, are also described. These plants have been used to fertility regulation, as anti-fertility agent, to control menstrual flux and bleedings, as abortifacient and as contraceptive. The phytochemical composition of these plants consists mainly in essential oil (EO), but phenolic compounds were also reported, like coumarins and flavonoids, as well as alkaloids. Ruta species products like extracts and EOs have shown broad pharmacological activities, such as antimicrobial and antifungal activities, as well as, antiviral and antiparasitic. Moreover, Ruta plants products present antioxidant, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and anti-diabetic activities and demonstrated contraceptive and abortifacient effects. These plants were also tested to be used for non-therapeutic approaches, as bio-insecticides in the control of different insect pests showing to be able to reduce infestation.

CONCLUSIONS

Ruta species could be a potential source of natural products with biological activities. Ruta extracts, essential oils and isolated compounds have shown a diverse potential for use in the treatment of different diseases, as well as, for pests control, contributing to the valorisation of these plants. Nonetheless, this review indicates that more studies are needed to demonstrate the full potential of Ruta species, and to further explore the toxicology and safety of these plants.

Traditional Herbal Medicine in Mesoamerica: Toward Its Evidence Base for Improving Universal Health Coverage

The quality of health care in Mesoamerica is influenced by its rich cultural diversity and characterized by social inequalities. Especially indigenous and rural communities confront diverse barriers to accessing formal health services, leading to often conflicting plurimedical systems. Fostering integrative medicine is a fundamental pillar for achieving universal health coverage (UHC) for marginalized populations. Recent developments toward health sovereignty in the region are concerned with assessing the role of traditional medicines, and particularly herbal medicines, to foster accessible and culturally pertinent healthcare provision models. In Mesoamerica, as in most regions of the world, a wealth of information on traditional and complementary medicine has been recorded. Yet these data are often scattered, making it difficult for policy makers to regulate and integrate traditionally used botanical products into primary health care. This critical review is based on a quantitative analysis of 28 survey papers focusing on the traditional use of botanical drugs in Mesoamerica used for the compilation of the "Mesoamerican Medicinal Plant Database" (MAMPDB), which includes a total of 12,537 use-records for 2188 plant taxa. Our approach presents a fundamental step toward UHC by presenting a pharmacological and toxicological review of the cross-culturally salient plant taxa and associated botanical drugs used in traditional medicine in Mesoamerica. Especially for native herbal drugs, data about safety and effectiveness are limited. Commonly used cross-culturally salient botanical drugs, which are considered safe but for which data on effectiveness is lacking constitute ideal candidates for treatment outcome studies.

GC-MS Analysis, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of Achillea Odorata Subsp. Pectinata and Ruta Montana Essential Oils and Their Potential Use as Food Preservatives

In order to discover new natural resources with biological properties, the chemical composition, the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, and the potential use as food preservative of essential oils of Moroccan Achillea odorata subsp. pectinata (AO_pEO) and Ruta montana (RMEO) were studied. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis revealed the presence of 21 and 25 compounds in AO_pEO and RMEO, respectively. The results showed that the major compounds of AO_pEO are camphor (45.01%), bornyl acetate (15.07%), borneol (11.33%), β-eudesmol (4.74%), camphene (3.58%), and 1.8-cineole (eucalyptol) (2.96%), whereas 2-undecanone (63.97%), camphor (3.82%) and cyclopropanecarboxylic acid (3.66%) were the main components of RMEO. The antioxidant activities were evaluated by diphenylpicrylhydraziyl radical (DPPH) and reducing power assays. The antimicrobial activities of essential oils were tested against bacterial strains and food contaminant yeast using agar disc diffusion and microdilution methods. A significant antimicrobial activity of AO_pEO was observed against Bacillus subtilis, Proteus mirabilis and Candida albicans, compared to RMEO. The efficacy of AO_pEO was also evaluated in model food systems (cabbage and barley) artificially inoculated during storage. The results found that the adding of a minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and 4× MIC were potent in decreasing the Proteus mirabilis growth in food model systems. Our findings suggested that AO_pEO may be potentially used as an alternative food preservative.

Study on the Interactions Between Caffeoylquinic Acids With Bovine Serum Albumin: Spectroscopy, Antioxidant Activity, LC-MSn, and Molecular Docking Approach

Clarified the binding mechanism of drugs with plasma proteins could provide fresh insights into the drug development. Caffeoylquinic acids (CQAs) are a kind of phenolic acid compounds which has extensive biological effects. This study investigated the binding mechanism of three CQAs, including chlorogenic acid, neochlorogenic acid, and cryptochlorogenic acid, with bovine serum albumin (BSA) by using multi-spectroscopic techniques, including fluorescence, UV-Vis, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, LC-MSⁿ, molecular docking and antioxidant activity assessment. In addition, the influences of PBS buffer, Tris-HCl buffer and water as solvents on the characteristics of CQAs and BSA interaction were also investigated. The results showed that intrinsic fluorescence of BSA was quenched by CQAs and the interaction was static quenching with the formation of a non-fluorescent complex. The binding of CQAs and BSA was spontaneous, and Van der Waals forces and hydrogen-bond interaction occupied crucial roles in the binding. All the three CQAs could bind to Site I in Domain IIA. The weakest interaction between neochlorogenic acid and BSA may due to its larger polarity. The results also indicated that the binding affinity of CQAs had a descending order of Tris-HCl > H₂O > PBS. This study firstly clarified the binding mechanism of CQAs with BSA and changes of the binding in different solvents, and provided fresh insights into this drug transportation and metabolism.

In Vitro Schistosomicidal Activity of the Alkaloid-Rich Fraction from Ruta graveolens L. (Rutaceae) and Its Characterization by UPLC-QTOF-MS

Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease that affects million people worldwide, mostly in developing countries. Ruta graveolens (Rutaceae) is a plant used in folk medicine to treat several diseases, including parasitic infections. In this study, we reported the in vitro schistosomicidal activity of the R. graveolens extract (Rg) and its active fraction (Rg-FAE). Also, the characterization of Rg-FAE by UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS analysis and its in vitro antileishmanial activity against Leishmania braziliensis were also performed. In vitro schistosomicidal assays were assessed against adult worms of S. mansoni, while cell viability against peritoneal macrophages was measured by MTT assay. Rg (100 μg/mL) exhibited noticeable schistosomicidal activity, causing 100% mortality and decreasing motor activity of all adult male and female schistosomes, but with low activity against L. braziliensis. After chromatographic fractionation of Rg, fraction Rg-FAE was obtained, showing high activity against adult schistosomes. UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS analysis of Rg-FAE revealed the presence of eleven alkaloids and one furanocoumarin. No significant antileishmanial activity was found for Rg, while Rg-FAE exhibited activity against L. braziliensis promastigotes. We demonstrated, for the first time, that the R. graveolens extract (Rg) and its alkaloid-rich fraction (Rg-FAE) are active against adult worms of S. mansoni, with no significant cytotoxicity on macrophages. Our findings open the route to further antiparasitic studies with the active fraction of R. graveolens and its identified compounds, especially alkaloids.

Ethnobotanical Knowledge in Sete Cidades, Azores Archipelago: First Ethnomedicinal Report

Knowledge about folk medicines is limited to elder community members of remote communities, like Sete Cidades in the Azores. The Azores, 1300 km west of Portugal, are nine volcanic islands, totalling 2330 km2 of land dispersed by 173,200 km2 in the North Atlantic Ocean. The present study aims to scientifically document the uses of plant species for medicinal purposes, in the Sete Cidades. Twenty-eight community members from 40 to 84 years of age, of whom half were 55 to 64 years old, were interviewed. Twenty-nine taxa were reported as being used for medicinal purposes, ten of which have not been previously reported for ethnomedicinal use in Portugal, with a first record of the use of Morella faya. Leaves were the most used plant part (55%), and decoction the most common preparation mode. The five reported taxa with both the highest use value (0.71-0.25) and relative frequency of citation (0.14-0.11) were Clinopodium menthifolium subsp. ascendens, Aloysia citriodora, Mentha x piperita, Citrus limon and Rosmarinus officinalis. The traditional uses of some of the reported plants are supported by scientific studies, confirming their ethnomedicinal value and the need to preserve local knowledge of folk medicine practices.

Phytochemical contents and biological evaluation of Ruta chalepennsis L. growing in Saudi Arabia

Phytochemical screening of Ruta chalepensis L. exhibited the presence of different chemical groups. The dried aerial parts of the plant was total extracted by ethanol and successively using chloroform, ethyl acetate and Butanol, out of the successive extracts four compounds namely, scopletin, kaempferol, quercetin, quercetin 3-O-α-L-rhamno glucopyranosyl (Rutin) were isolated and biological evaluations. Total ethanol and successive extracts; chloroform, ethyl acetate and Butanol were produced excellent antimicrobial activities against gram negative bacteria, gram positive bacteria and fungi. Ethyl acetate extract was the best for inhibition of the microorganism’s growth. All extracts (total ethanol, and successive extracts) showed DPPH radical scavenging activity in a concentration–dependent manner. The best antioxidant activity was obtained by ethyl acetate & n-butanol extract (94.28%, IC₅₀ = 56.6 µg/ml). Also All extracts (total ethanol, and successive extracts) showed anticoagulant activity at higher concentration with prolonged clotting time 6:30 and 4:30 s at 10 mg/ml concentrations, respectively.

Ruta chalepensis L. Essential Oil: A New Antisprouting Agent for Potatoes Bioconservation

The main concern of this work was to find a new biological antisprouting product for potatoes during storage. Ruta chalepensis L. essential oil (RCEO) was for the first time used as a potential sprouting inhibitor for potatoes. To confirm RCEO antisprouting effect, evolution of sprout length and weight loss of potato tubers was determined during a storage period of six weeks under three RCEO different treatments (2%, 4%, and 6%). Sprout final weight was also computed. Then, a screening of RCEO chemical composition was performed. An outstanding antisprouting effect of 6% emulsions concentrations was observed as compared to 2% and 4% emulsions concentrations. Final sprout weight (SW) of untreated samples was 4.66%, while 6% treated samples scored 0.98%. These results were endorsed by high Pearson correlation coefficients (>0.9). Indeed, increasing treatment concentration enhanced the sprout growth inhibition. Identification of RCEO major components showed that 2-undecanone represented 87.18% of total identified components suggesting that this component is the possible active agent of RCEO against potatoes sprouting.

A review of Tunisian medicinal plants with anticancer activity

Cancer is a major public health problem in the world. The use of the medicinal plants in cancer prevention and management is frequent in Africa, especially in Tunisia, and it is transmitted from generation to generation within cultures. Many previous studies showed that a wide range of Tunisian medicinal plants exerted cytotoxic and anticancer activity. A comprehensive review was conducted to collect information from scientific journal articles, including indigenous knowledge researches, about Tunisian medicinal plants used for the prevention and management of cancer. The aim of this review article is to provide the reader with information concerning the importance of Tunisian medicinal plants in the prevention and management of cancer and to open the door for the health professionals and scientists working in the field of pharmacology and therapeutics to produce new drug formulations to treat different types of cancer.