Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, King Khalid University (KKU), Guraiger, Abha 62529, Saudi Arabia.
Complementary and Alternative Medicine Unit, King Khalid University (KKU), Abha 62529, Saudi Arabia.
Nutrients. 2023 Mar 31;15(7):1704. doi: 10.3390/nu15071704.
Cancer is a hard-to-treat disease with a high reoccurrence rate that affects health and lives globally. The condition has a high occurrence rate and is the second leading cause of mortality after cardiovascular disorders. Increased research and more profound knowledge of the mechanisms contributing to the disease's onset and progression have led to drug discovery and development. Various drugs are on the market against cancer; however, the drugs face challenges of chemoresistance. The other major problem is the side effects of these drugs. Therefore, using complementary and additional medicines from natural sources is the best strategy to overcome these issues. The naturally occurring phytochemicals are a vast source of novel drugs against various ailments. The modes of action by which phytochemicals show their anti-cancer effects can be the induction of apoptosis, the onset of cell cycle arrest, kinase inhibition, and the blocking of carcinogens. This review aims to describe different phytochemicals, their classification, the role of phytochemicals as anti-cancer agents, the mode of action of phytochemicals, and their role in various types of cancer.
癌症是一种难以治疗的疾病，具有较高的复发率，影响着全球的健康和生命。这种疾病的发病率较高，是心血管疾病之后导致死亡的第二大主要原因。对导致疾病发生和发展的机制的研究增加和认识加深，导致了药物的发现和开发。市场上有各种针对癌症的药物；然而，这些药物面临着化疗耐药性的挑战。另一个主要问题是这些药物的副作用。因此，使用来自天然来源的补充和辅助药物是克服这些问题的最佳策略。天然存在的植物化学物质是针对各种疾病的新型药物的巨大来源。植物化学物质发挥抗癌作用的作用方式可以是诱导细胞凋亡、引发细胞周期停滞、抑制激酶和阻断致癌物质。本综述旨在描述不同的植物化学物质、它们的分类、植物化学物质作为抗癌剂的作用、植物化学物质的作用方式以及它们在各种类型癌症中的作用。
