Open AccessImpact of natural resources and research on cancer treatment and prevention: A perspective from Cameroon
Author(s) -
Barnabas Orang-Ojong,
Jose Edward Munyangaju,
Ma Wei,
Lin Miao,
Fan Guan Wei,
Charles Foukunang,
Yan Zhu
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
molecular and clinical oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.442
H-Index - 7
eISSN - 2049-9469
pISSN - 2049-9450
DOI - 10.3892/mco.2013.132
Subject(s) - medicinal plants , traditional medicine , antimicrobial , cancer , biology , terpenoid , cancer treatment , hypericum , drug discovery , drug , scope (computer science) , microbiology and biotechnology , pharmacology , medicine , botany , bioinformatics , programming language , genetics , computer science
Cancer is a significant public health concern and treatment poses a problem and is frequently unsuccessful. As such, continuous efforts in the search for new agents and therapies to improve survival are required. A considerable number of plant extracts and isolated compounds possess significant anti-proliferative or pro-apoptotic effects. The majority of biologically active compounds belong to terpenoids, phenolics and alkaloids. Terpenoid plants such as Hypericum lanceolatum and a few alkaloid plants have been found to be potent anti-parasitic agents but have exhibited poor antimicrobial effects. The screening of medicinal plants for anticancer drugs has provided modern medicine with effective cytotoxic pharmaceuticals. Numerous medicinal plants have traditionally been used for the treatment of various ailments. However, a number of these medicinal plants have not been standardized and their mechanisms of actions are generally unknown. Active drug discovery research using local medicinal plants is ongoing. Some of these plant-derived compounds, including 3,39-dimethoxy-49- O -β-d-xylopyronosylellagic acid, have been tested for their potential use as anticancer agents. This review discussed the scope and possibility of natural products as anticancer remedy.