Herbs or natural products that decrease cancer growth part one of a four-part series

Salt-Tolerant Plants, Halophytes, as Renewable Natural Resources for Cancer Prevention and Treatment: Roles of Phenolics and Flavonoids in Immunomodulation and Suppression of Oxidative Stress towards Cancer Management

Halophytes and xerophytes, plants with adequate tolerance to high salinity with strong ability to survive in drought ecosystem, have been recognized for their nutritional and medicinal values owing to their comparatively higher productions of secondary metabolites, primarily the phenolics, and the flavonoids, as compared to the normal vegetation in other climatic regions. Given the consistent increases in desertification around the world, which are associated with increasing salinity, high temperature, and water scarcity, the survival of halophytes due to their secondary metabolic contents has prioritized these plant species, which have now become increasingly important for environmental protection, land reclamation, and food and animal-feed security, with their primary utility in traditional societies as sources of drugs. On the medicinal herbs front, because the fight against cancer is still ongoing, there is an urgent need for development of more efficient, safe, and novel chemotherapeutic agents, than those currently available. The current review describes these plants and their secondary-metabolite-based chemical products as promising candidates for developing newer cancer therapeutics. It further discusses the prophylactic roles of these plants, and their constituents in prevention and management of cancers, through an exploration of their phytochemical and pharmacological properties, with a view on immunomodulation. The important roles of various phenolics and structurally diverse flavonoids as major constituents of the halophytes in suppressing oxidative stress, immunomodulation, and anti-cancer effects are the subject matter of this review and these aspects are outlined in details.

A Review of Medicinal Plants of the Himalayas with Anti-Proliferative Activity for the Treatment of Various Cancers

Simple Summary

Drugs are used to treat cancer. Most drugs available in the market are chemosynthetic drugs and have side effects on the patient during and after the treatment, in addition to cancer itself. For instance, hair loss, loss of skin color and texture, loss of energy, nausea, infertility, etc. To overcome these side effects, naturally obtained drugs from medicinal plants are preferred. Our review paper aims to encourage the study of anticancer medicinal plants by giving detailed information on thirty-three medicinal plants and parts that constitute the phytochemicals responsible for the treatment of cancer. The development of plant-based drugs could be a game changer in treating cancer as well as boosting the immune system.

Abstract

Cancer is a serious and significantly progressive disease. Next to cardiovascular disease, cancer has become the most common cause of mortality in the entire world. Several factors, such as environmental factors, habitual activities, genetic factors, etc., are responsible for cancer. Many cancer patients seek alternative and/or complementary treatments because of the high death rate linked with cancer and the adverse side effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Traditional medicine has a long history that begins with the hunt for botanicals to heal various diseases, including cancer. In the traditional medicinal system, several plants used to treat diseases have many bioactive compounds with curative capability, thereby also helping in disease prevention. Plants also significantly contributed to the modern pharmaceutical industry throughout the world. In the present review, we have listed 33 medicinal plants with active and significant anticancer activity, as well as their anticancer compounds. This article will provide a basic set of information for researchers interested in developing a safe and nontoxic active medicinal plant-based treatment for cancer. The research will give a scientific foundation for the traditional usage of these medicinal herbs to treat cancer.

Research Progress of Axl Inhibitors

Axl, a Receptor Tyrosine Kinase (RTK) belonging to the TAM (Axl, Mer, Tyro3) family, participates in many signal transduction cascades after mostly being stimulated by Growth arrestspecific 6(Gas6). Axl is widely expressed in many organs, such as macrophages, endothelial cells, heart, liver and skeletal muscle. Over-expression and activation of Axl are associated with promoting chemotherapy resistance, cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis in many human cancers, such as breast, lung, and pancreatic cancers. Therefore, the research and development of Axl inhibitors is of great significance to strengthen the means of cancer treatment, especially to solve the problem of drug resistance. Axl inhibitors have attracted more and more researchers' attention in recent years. This review discusses the research progress of Axl inhibitors in recent years.

Honey induces apoptosis in renal cell carcinoma

Background:

The fact that antioxidants have several preventative effects against different diseases, such as coronary diseases, inflammatory disorders, neurologic degeneration, aging, and cancer, has led to the search for food rich in antioxidants. Honey has been used as a traditional food and medical source since ancient times. However, recently many scientists have been concentrating on the antioxidant property of honey. By use of human renal cancer cell lines (ACHN), we investigated the antiproliferative activity, apoptosis, and the antitumor activity of honey.

Materials and Methods:

The cells were cultured in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium with 10% fetal bovine serum treated with different concentrations of honey for 3 consecutive days. Cell viability was quantitated by the 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Apoptotic cells were determined using Annexin-V-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) by flow cytometry.

Results:

Honey decreased the cell viability in the malignant cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. The IC ₅₀ values against the ACHN cell lines were determined as 1.7 ± 0.04% and 2.1 ± 0.03% μg/mL after 48 and 72 h, respectively. Honey induced apoptosis of the ACHN cells in a concentration-dependent manner, as determined by flow cytometry histogram of treated cells.

Conclusion:

It might be concluded that honey may cause cell death in the ACHN cells, in which apoptosis plays an important role. Most of the drugs used in the cancer treatment are apoptotic inducers, hence apoptotic nature of honey is considered vital. Therefore, it prompted us to investigate honey as a potential candidate for renal cancer treatment.

Herbs or Natural Products That Protect Against Cancer Growth: Part Three of a Four-Part Series

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES

To provide evidence-based research information about 47 herbs and natural products that have the potential to protect against the development of cancer.

DATA SOURCES

Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database and Lawrence Review of Natural Products-Monograph System. Information about these herbs has been found in evidence-based studies cited in the references.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Early research shows that some herbs and natural products appear to have the potential to prevent cancer growth.

CONCLUSIONS

This preliminary evidence may be useful to healthcare professionals or patients who are concerned about cancer.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING

Oncology nurses who receive this information can become resources for patients or other healthcare professionals.

Evidence for symptom management in the child with cancer

The use of complementary/alternative medicine (CAM) has been well documented among children with cancer. This report summarizes the research evidence on the role of CAM therapies for prevention and treatment of the most commonly reported cancer-related symptoms and late effects among children with cancer. Small clinical trials document evidence of effectiveness for select therapies, such as acupuncture or ginger for nausea and vomiting, TRAUMEEL S for mucositis, and hypnosis and imagery for pain and anxiety. Several relatively small clinical trials of varying quality have been conducted on these CAM therapies in children with cancer. Some herbs have demonstrated efficacy in adults, but few studies of herbs have been conducted in children. Larger randomized clinical trials are warranted for each of these promising therapies. Until the evidence is more conclusive, the providers' role is to assess and document the child's use of CAM, critically evaluate the evidence or lack of evidence, balance the potential risks with possible benefits, and assist the family in their choices and decisions regarding use of CAM for their child with cancer.