Natural Products/Bioactive Compounds as a Source of Anticancer Drugs (2025)

Natural Products Used as Anti-Cancer Agents

Journal of Drug Delivery and Therapeutics, 2017

In the present time Natural products are considered to be symbols of protection in comparison to the synthetic product that are regarded as unsafe to human life and environment. Although a large number of synthetic drugs are being added to the world of present pharmacopoeia, but still no system of medicine in the world has been able to solve all the health problems, which include diseases like Cancer. Plant-derived compounds have played an important role in the development of several clinically useful anticancer agents. These include vinblastine, vincristine, the camptothecin derivatives, topotecan and irinotecan, etoposide, derived from epipodophyllotoxin, and paclitaxel (taxol). Several promising new agents are in clinical development based on selective activity against cancer-related molecular targets, including flavopiridol and combretastin A4 phosphate, and some agents which failed in earlier clinical studies are stimulating renewed interest. Therefore the search for innovative therapeutic constituents from plants is genuine and urgent. In India, there is an ocean of knowledge about medicinal plants and rich medicinal flora, but still only a few pearls have been searched as therapeutic agents.

ANTI-CANCER AGENTS DERIVED FROM PLANT AND DIETARY SOURCES: A REVIEW

Cancer is a disease of deregulated cellular behavior. Acquisition of oncogenic attributes, loss of tumor suppressive functions, evasion of physiological tissue architecture and interactions with the cellular microenvironment enable malignant cells to escape the mechanisms of normal cellular homeostasis in an organism. Cancer cells are therefore able to sustain unlimited proliferation, to thrive under conditions that preclude normal cell survival, and to spread to distant sites through the process of metastasis. Natural products are important sources of new anticancer drugs, new drug leads and new chemical entities. The plant based drug discovery resulted mainly in the development of anticancer agents including plants (vincristine, vinblastine, paclitaxel, etoposide, camptothecin, topotecan and irinotecan). Beside this there is numerous agents identified from fruits and vegetables can used in anticancer therapy. The agents include curcumin (turmeric), resveratrol (red grapes, peanuts and berries), genistein (soybean), diallyl sulfide (allium), S-allyl cysteine (allium), allicin (garlic), lycopene (tomato), capsaicin (red chilli), diosgenin (fenugreek), 6-gingerol (ginger), ellagic acid (pomegranate), ursolic acid (apple, pears, prunes), silymarin (milk thistle), anethol (anise, camphor, and fennel), catechins (green tea), eugenol (cloves), indole-3-carbinol (cruciferous vegetables), limonene (citrus fruits), beta carotene (carrots), and dietary fiber. In this review active principle derived from natural products are offering a great opportunity to evaluate not only totally new chemical classes of anticancer agents, but also novel lead compound and potentially relevant mechanisms of action.

Plant-based anticancer molecules: A chemical and biological profile of some important leads

Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry, 2005

A number of natural products, with diverse chemical structures, have been isolated as anticancer agents. Several potential lead molecules such as camptothecin, vincristine, vinblastine, taxol, podophyllotoxin, combretastatins, etc. have been isolated from plants and many of them have been modified to yield better analogues for activity, toxicity or solubility. Several successful molecules like topotecan, irinotecan, taxotere, etoposide, teniposide, etc. also have emerged as drugs upon modification of these natural leads and many more are yet to come. In this review, the authors have focused on four important anticancer leads, that is, camptothecin, taxol, combretastatin A-4 and podophyllotoxin. Their chemistry, structure and activity relationships, biological activities, modes of action, analogue synthesis and future prospects have been discussed.

A brief review of secondary plant metabolites as anticancer agents

2020

Plants have provided a source of medicine from the beginning of human history and are the core of modern medicine. Moreover, plant-based drug discovery has led to the development of various anticancer drugs (such as vincristine, vinblastine, etoposide, paclitaxel, camptothecin, topotecan and irinotecan). The use of botanical, photochemical, biological and molecular techniques have facilitated the discovery of novel secondary metabolites from native and indigenous plants that can inhibit the human topoisomerase II enzyme (target for anticancer drugs) and kill cancer cells. Therefore, the aim of this review was to further investigate the anticancer activity of secondary metabolites from native and indigenous plants and determine the classes of compounds that contributed towards its activity.

Terrestrial Plant-Derived Anticancer Agents and Plant Species Used in Anticancer Research

Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences, 2006

Potential Natural Products with Anticancer Properties and Their Applications

Natural products continue to be a source for the discovery of drugs and drug leads even from ancient period. 80% of drug molecules have been obtained from either natural products or derivatives of the natural product. It has been found that the concept of a single drug for treating single disease may become outdated in the near future and the need of polyherbal formulations, as an alternate remedy is under investigation. Medicinal and aromatic plants contain biologically important phytochemicals, which have known curative properties. They are found as secondary metabolites in plants. Plants also contain certain other compounds that moderate the effects of the active ingredients. Medicinal and aromatic plants have their own contribution toward the treatment of both noncommunicable and communicable diseases. A survey done by the WHO indicates that a majority of the world population tends to use plants for treating diseases. Cancer, the second largest cause of death after cardiovascular disease accounts for about 3500 million people globally. Due to the serious side effects of synthetic chemopreventive agents, research is going onto investigate the nature derived chemopreventive agents. In addition to the plant-derived compounds, marine, and animal resources also play an important role as clinically beneficial anticancer agents with minimal or no toxicity. The best examples for plant-derived compounds include vincristine, vinblastine, irinotecan, etoposide, and paclitaxel; they have a different mode of action against cancer such as interaction with microtubules, inhibition of topoisomerases I or II, alkylation of DNA, and interference with tumor signal transduction. The natural products from marine sources such as bryostatin, squalamine exhibit a significant antimitotic, and anti-angiogenic activities. The benefits of various anticancer drugs derived from natural products are the fact that it can have its effect on cancer cells alone without harming healthy cells, which is unlikely to be the case with other conventional chemotherapeutics. In this review, various natural products and their anticancer properties have been discussed briefly.

Plant-Derived Anticancer Compounds as New Perspectives in Drug Discovery and Alternative Therapy

Molecules, 2021

Despite the recent advances in the field of chemically synthetized pharmaceutical agents, nature remains the main supplier of bioactive molecules. The research of natural products is a valuable approach for the discovery and development of novel biologically active compounds possessing unique structures and mechanisms of action. Although their use belongs to the traditional treatment regimes, plant-derived compounds still cover a large portion of the current-day pharmaceutical agents. Their medical importance is well recognized in the field of oncology, especially as an alternative to the limitations of conventional chemotherapy (severe side effects and inefficacy due to the occurrence of multi-drug resistance). This review offers a comprehensive perspective of the first blockbuster chemotherapeutic agents of natural origin’s (e.g. taxol, vincristine, doxorubicin) mechanism of action using 3D representation. In addition is portrayed the step-by-step evolution from preclinical to cli...

Natural products in anticancer therapy

Current Opinion in Pharmacology, 2001

Many pharmaceutical agents have been discovered by screening natural products from plants, animals, marine organisms and microorganisms. Vincristine, irinotecan, etoposide and paclitaxel are examples of plant-derived compounds that are being employed in cancer treatment, and dactinomycin, bleomycin and doxorubicin are anticancer agents derived from microbial sources. Citarabine is an example of an anticancer agent originating from a marine source. Other agents originating from marine sources are bryostatin-1, aplidine, dolastatin 10 and ET-743, which have recently entered phase I and II clinical trials.

Role of Plant-Derived Active Constituents in Cancer Treatment and Their Mechanisms of Action

Cells

Despite significant technological advancements in conventional therapies, cancer remains one of the main causes of death worldwide. Although substantial progress has been made in the control and treatment of cancer, several limitations still exist, and there is scope for further advancements. Several adverse effects are associated with modern chemotherapy that hinder cancer treatment and lead to other critical disorders. Since ancient times, plant-based medicines have been employed in clinical practice and have yielded good results with few side effects. The modern research system and advanced screening techniques for plants’ bioactive constituents have enabled phytochemical discovery for the prevention and treatment of challenging diseases such as cancer. Phytochemicals such as vincristine, vinblastine, paclitaxel, curcumin, colchicine, and lycopene have shown promising anticancer effects. Discovery of more plant-derived bioactive compounds should be encouraged via the exploitation...

Overview of major classes of plant-derived anticancer drugs

International journal of biomedical science : IJBS, 2009

Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide. Conventional cancer therapies cause serious side effects and, at best, merely extend the patient's lifespan by a few years. Cancer control may therefore benefit from the potential that resides in alternative therapies. The demand to utilize alternative concepts or approaches to the treatment of cancer is therefore escalating. There is compelling evidence from epidemiological and experimental studies that highlight the importance of compounds derived from plants "phytochemicals" to reduce the risk of colon cancer and inhibit the development and spread of tumors in experimental animals. More than 25% of drugs used during the last 20 years are directly derived from plants, while the other 25% are chemically altered natural products. Still, only 5-15% of the approximately 250,000 higher plants have ever been investigated for bioactive compounds. The advantage of using such compounds for cancer treatment is their relati...

Status and Challenges of Plant-Anticancer Compounds in Cancer Treatment

Pharmaceuticals, 2021

Nowadays, cancer is one of the deadliest diseases in the world, which has been estimated to cause 9.9 million deaths in 2020. Conventional treatments for cancer commonly involve mono-chemotherapy or a combination of radiotherapy and mono-chemotherapy. However, the negative side effects of these approaches have been extensively reported and have prompted the search of new therapeutic drugs. In this context, scientific community started to look for innovative sources of anticancer compounds in natural sources, including traditional plants. Currently, numerous studies have evaluated the anticancer properties of natural compounds derived from plants, both in vitro and in vivo. In pre-clinical stages, some promising compounds could be mentioned, such as the sulforaphane or different phenolic compounds. On the other hand, some phytochemicals obtained positive results in clinical stages and were further approved for cancer treatment, such as vinca alkaloids or the paclitaxel. Nevertheless,...

Plant-Based Drugs as an Adjuvant to Cancer Chemotherapy

Alternative Medicine [Working Title], 2020

Humans have turned to natural products, obtained from plants, animals and aquatic life for treating diseases since time immemorial. Modern medicine is based on ancient wisdom transferred over generations. Drug development relies mainly on natural sources. Herbal medicines are making a comeback due to lower side effects, and positive results in the long term when compared to synthetic drugs. The current drug discovery process relies on identifying traditional medicines followed by Bioactivity-guided fractionation to isolate significant lead molecules. Plants have a history of long-term use by humans and hence it can be presumed that the bioactive compounds obtained from plants will have low human toxicity. There exists a huge potential for discovering new antitumor drug leads by screening natural products either in the form of crude extracts purified phytochemicals which have already been described in the literature. The fact that phytochemicals like paclitaxel, vinblastine, vincrist...

Natural sources as potential anti-cancer agents: A review

Natural products remain an important source of new drugs, new drug leads and new chemical entities. The plant based drug discovery resulted mainly in the development of anticancer agents including plants (vincristine, vinblastine, etoposide, paclitaxel, camptothecin, topotecan and irinotecan), marine organisms (citarabine, aplidine and dolastatin 10) and microorganisms (dactinomycin, bleomycin and doxorubicin). Beside this there is numerous agents identified from fruits and vegetables can used in anticancer therapy. The agents include curcumin (turmeric), resveratrol (red grapes, peanuts and berries), genistein (soybean), diallyl sulfide (allium), S-allyl cysteine (allium), allicin (garlic), lycopene (tomato), capsaicin (red chilli), diosgenin (fenugreek), 6-gingerol (ginger), ellagic acid (pomegranate), ursolic acid (apple, pears, prunes), silymarin (milk thistle), anethol (anise, camphor, and fennel), catechins (green tea), eugenol (cloves), indole-3-carbinol (cruciferous vegetables), limonene (citrus fruits), beta carotene (carrots), and dietary fiber. In this review active principle derived from natural products are offering a great opportunity to evaluate not only totally new chemical classes of anticancer agents, but also novel lead compound and potentially relevant mechanisms of action.

Clinical development of anticancer agents from natural products

Stem Cells, 1994

Recent years have seen the introduction into clinical trials of new classes of chemotherapeutic agents which a r e derived from natural sources and have novel mechanisms of action. Examples of some of these newer classes of agents are presented here to illustrate both the opportunities they represent with respect to cancer treatment applications and the challenges which they represent from the clinical development perspective. Cumulatively the problems encountered with the development of the agents described are representative of the spectrum of issues encountered in the development of natural products, ranging from initial characterization and purification through the difficulties encountered in obtaining sufficient quantities of material for preclinical studies and then ultimately for clinical trials. Since these agents have unique mechanisms of action and are often exquisitely dose-and schedule-dependent in preclinical studies, they represent significant complexities with respect to determining the optimal regimen of administration clinically. The particular agents chosen for description here represent the spectrum of natural sourcederived materials as well as mechanisms of action. The taxanes are derived from tree sources and interfere with the mitotic spindle apparatus; the camptothecins, while also derived from trees, appear to exert their activity through interactions with topoisomerase I. Bryostatin, derived from a marine animal, has powerful effects on protein kinase C (PKC), and therefore affects signal transduction pathways within cells.

Anticancer drugs from nature: an short overview.

Natural products as anticancer drug: A review

Pharma innovation, 2018

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death of mankind. WHO predicted that this cancer, if no immediate action is taken, would be the most threatening to human by 2030. By the classical treatment therapy, the people with cancer are suffering from so many toxic side effects. So the scientists are in search of new and safer drugs. Natural products, being less toxic and safe, are of much interest of the medicinal chemists to find new therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. Natural products are playing an important role in drug discovery process, particularly in the area of cancer. Plant based drug discovery has resulted the development of many anticancer drug currently in use. So, natural products give a platform for the search of new drugs for the treatment of cancer. Attempts have been made to develop new naturally occurring plant based lead molecules for anticancer drug formation. A good number of drugs originated directly from natural products or derived from natural products are approved as anticancer drugs and commercially available for cancer treatment. Anticancer drugs derived directly from natural products or a semi-synthetic analog of natural products approved from 2000 to 2017 are discussed in this review. Their source, chemical structure and their mechanism of action are discussed in this resume. The review cites 141 references.

Anticancer agents from medicinal plants

Cancer is a major public health burden in both developed and developing countries. Plant derived agents are being used for the treatment of cancer. Several anticancer agents including taxol, vinblas-tine, vincristine, the camptothecin derivatives, topotecan and irinotecan, and etoposide derived from epipodophyllotoxin are in clinical use all over the world. A number of promising agents such as flavopiridol, roscovitine, combretastatin A-4, betulinic acid and silvestrol are in clinical or preclinical development.

Anticancer agents from diverse natural sources

Natural product communications, 2014

This review attempts to portray the discovery and development of anticancer agents/drugs from diverse natural sources. Natural molecules from these natural sources including plants, microbes and marine organisms have been the basis of treatment of human diseases since the ancient times. Compounds derived from nature have been important sources of new drugs and also serve as templates for synthetic modification. Many successful anti-cancer drugs currently in use are naturally derived or their analogues and many more are under clinical trials. This review aims to highlight the invaluable role that natural products have played, and continue to play, in the discovery of anticancer agents.

Novel anticancer agents from plant sources

Chinese Journal of Natural Medicines, 2014

Plants remain an important source of new drugs, new drug leads and new chemical entities. Plant based drug discovery resulted mainly in the development of anticancer and anti-infectious agents, and continues to contribute to the new leads in clinical trials. Natural product drugs play a dominant role in pharmaceutical care. Several plant-derived compounds are currently successfully employed in cancer treatment. There are many classes of plant-derived cytotoxic natural products studied for further improvement and development of drugs. New anticancer drugs derived from research on plant antitumor agents will be continuously discovered. The basic aim of this review is to explore the potential of newly discovered anticancer compounds from medicinal plants, as a lead for anticancer drug development. It will be helpful to explore the medicinal value of plants and for new drug discovery from them for the researchers and scientists around the globe.

some plant derived anticancer drugs

Cancer is a major problem in both developed and developing countries. It is now spreading in a faster speed throughout the whole world. There are many anticancer drugs used for the treatment of cancer. Among them a vast majority is found from plant sources. Many plant derived compounds have been isolated so far and are currently under clinical trials. The aim of this study was to review the literature of some of the common anticancer drugs derived from plant sources.