Anti Cancer activity of Medicinal Plants

Thesis-Part-1

• Presentation • Prepared by Sk Abu Raihan Abdullah• MBT,3rd Sem,NITMAS

What is Medicinal plant ?

Medicinal plants are plants that have a recognized medical use.

Medicinal plants refer to using a plant’s seeds, berries, roots, leaves, bark or flowers for medicinal purposes.

Their use ranges the production of mainstream pharmaceutical products to herbal medicine preparations.

Herbal medicine is one of the oldest forms of medical treatment in human history and could be considered one of the forerunners of the modern pharmaceutical trade.

Medicinal plants contain active chemical constituents in any of their parts like root, stem, leaves, bark, fruit and seeds which produce a definite curing physiological response in the treatment of various ailments in human and other animals.

Medicinal plants are primary source of health care throughout the world forthousand of years.

Why Medicinal Plants use for Cancer TreatmentAll over the world cancer is one of the most serious health problems that affect the duration and quality of the individuals’life.

As the conventional therapeutic strategies fail to full fill the major requirements for a successful cancer therapy. The use of naturally developed anticancer agents has evolved as an alternative safe, low-cost and convenient one.

Therefore, the use of plant extracts with potential anticancer therapeutic effects might be particularly significant.

A lot of medicinal plants, traditionally used for thousands of years, are present in a group of herbal preparations of the Indian traditional health care system (Ayurveda) named Rasayana proposed for their interesting antioxidant and anti cancer activities.

The therapeutic potential of plants leaf extract

Plant Scientific Name Type of extraction Proposed active material 1. Solanum viarum Ether Solasodine glycoalkaloid (Tropical Soda Apple)2. Acanthus illicifolious Methanol Triterpenoids,Flavonoids, (Harkucha Kanta) Alkaloids 3. Annona squamosa Ethyl acetate Acetogenins,Alkaloids, (Custard Apple) Dofamine 4 Alstonia scholaris Methanol Alkaloids,Flavonoids (Chatium)5. Calotropis gigantea Ethanol Triterpenoids,Flavonol

(Akanda) Glycosides

Solanum viarum Dunal, belongs to the family Solanaceae, commonly called Tropical Soda Apple (TSA) is a shallow rooted, profusely branched, perennial shrub. It is native plant of Argentina and central Brazil and has been naturalized in many parts of the world including India.

Solanum viarum

Solasodine is a major glycoalkaloid constituent of this plant. Solasodine extracted from this plant is used treat cancer (Trouillas et al., 2005), leukemia (Blood cancer), as a steroid precursor to produce contraceptive pills (Everist, 1981), Addison's disease, rheumatic arthritis, chronic asthma, obesity, palsy, skin diseases (Pingle and Dhyansagar, 1980), and anti-inflammatory steroidal drugs.

Acanthus ilicifolius Linn. (Family Acanthaceae) a gregarious shrub, commonly found with mangroves along the coastal regions of India. The common names of Acanthus ilicifolius are Beng. Harkucha kanta, Eng. Holy leaved acanthus.

It is found commonly in the east and west coasts, also found in Meghalaya and the Andamans. Leaves are simple, oblong to elliptic, varying in size, smaller in flowering season.

Acanthus ilicifolius

Acanthus ilicifolius (Acanthaceae) has received considerable attention due to its wide range of secondary metabolites and its traditional usage in Indian and Chinese system of medicine.

This plant is reported to be a mangrove.Mangrove survives in the most hostile environment with fluctuating tidal and saline regime. Hence, these plants are considered to be rich sources of steroids, triterpenoids, saponins, flavonoids, alkaloids, and tannins.

The plant have demonstrated significant pharmacological activities like antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, anti-osteporotic and hepatoprotective.

Traditionally, the plant has been used for dyspepsia, paralysis, asthsma, headache, rheumatism, and skin diseases.

Annona squamosaAnnona squamosa Linn. (Family Annonaceae), popular with common name of “custurd apple or sugar apple”.

Its origin from West Indies and Central America. The plant is also cultivated throughout the South Asia especially in tropical regions for edible purpose. It is a small (about 5-6 m in height) deciduous tree with irregular branches.

Ethyl acetate extracts leaf of Annona squamosa L. were found acetogenins,alkaloids,dofamine,salsolinol and Coclaurine. Its have significant anticancer activity. It is effective remedy for various types of inflammatory diseases as well as tumorous growths.

The plant has been used in traditional medicine of several tropical countries to treat epilepsy, dysentry, cardiac problems, worm infection, constipation, hemorhage, antibacterial, dysurea, fever and ulcer. It also has anti-fertility and abortifacient properties (Soni et al., 2012).

Alstonia scholaris Linn (Family Apocynaceae) which is popularly known as the “Saptaparni” or “Devil’s tree”. Common name of Bengali are Chatium.

Alstonia scholaris Linn is a medium to large tree. The uperside of the leaves are glossy, while the underside is Greyish, its mature bark is grayish. It is widely distributed in dried forests of India, Western Himalayas, Western Ghats and in the Southern region.

Alstonia scholaris

The plant Alstonia scholaris has been used in different system of traditional medication for the treatment of diseases and ailments of human beings. It is reported to contain various alkaloids, flavonoids and phenolic acids.

It has been reported as anti-cancer, antioxidant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer, bronchodilatory, antimicrobial, antiamoebic, antidiarrhoeal, antiplasmodial, hepatoprotective, immunomodulatory, antiasthmatic, free radical scavenging, anti-fertility and woundhealing activities.

Calotropis gigantea

Calotropis gigantea (Crown flower or Akanda) is a species of Calotropis native to Cambodia, Indonesia,Malaysia,Philippines, Thailand,Sri Lanka,India,China, Pakistan,Nepal, and tropical Africa.It is a large shrub growing to 4 m (13 ft) tall. It has clusters of waxy flowers that are either white or lavender in colour. The plant has oval, light green leaves and milky stem.

Traditionally extracts and preparations from leaves and roots of Calotropis gigantea are used against abdominal tumours, boils, syphilis, tuberculous, leprosy, skin diseases, piles, wounds, rheumatism and insect-bites.

Several phytochemicals have been isolated from Calotropis gigantea and they include cytotoxic cardenolides, anti feedant non protein amino acid, naphthalene and terpene derivatives, flavonol glycosides, pregnanes, ursane-type triterpenoids and steroids.

Root bark of this plant is used in dysentery and as a purgative, alterative,diaphoretic and emetic. Antipyretic, analgesic, anticonvulsant, anxiolytic, sedative, hepatoprotective, wound healing, antidiabetic, larvicidal, anti-inflammatoryand anti-diarrhoeal activities of Calotropis gigantea have been scientifically proven.

Conclusion

With the growing interest in health and wellness, alternative medicines are becoming increasingly popular worldwide.

In addition, a growing body of scientific research shows that herbal medicines can be highly effective for cancer diseases and conditions. Moreover, as research in this area increases, the optimum doses for herbal medicines are known to ever greater accuracy.

References

1. Pingle, A.R. and Dhyansagar, V.R. 1980 Solanum viarum as a source of solasodine. Indian Drugs,2. Khajure, P. V. & Rathod, J. L. (2011). Potential anticancer activity of Acanthus ilicifolius extracted from the mangroves forest of Karwar, west coast of India. World Journal of Science and Technology, 1(1), 1-6. 3.Shirwaikar A, Rajendran K, Kumar CD. In vitro antioxidant studies of Annona squamosa Linn leaves. Indian JExp Biol. 2004;42:803–7.4.Ramachandra YL, Ashajyothi C, Padmalatha RS. Antioxidant activity of Alstonia scholaris extracts containing flavonoids and phenolic compounds. Int J Pharm Pharma Sci. 2012;4(3):424–6.

5. Adak M, Gupta JK: Evaluation of anti-inflammatory activity of Calotropis gigantea (AKANDA) in various biological systems. Nepal Med Coll J, 2006, 8, 156–161.

6. Nee, M. 1991. Synopsis of Solanum section Acanthophora: A group of interest for glyco-alkaloides, pp. 258-266 In: J. G. Hawkes, R. N. Lester, M. Nee and N. Estrada eds. Solanaceae III: Taxonomy, chemistry, evolution. Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK.

7. Wostmann, R. & Liebezeit, G. (2008). Chemical composition of the mangrove holly Acanthus ilicifolius (Acanthaceae). Senckenbergiana maritime, 38(1), 31-37

8. Neha Pandey and Dushyant Barve (2011). Phytochemical and Pharmacological review on Annona squamosa Linn. International Journal of Research in Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, 2(4): 1404- 1412.

9. Arulmozhi S, Papiya Mitra Mazumder, Sathiya Narayanan L, Prasad A Thakurdesai. In vitro antioxidant and free radical scavenging activity of fractions from Alstonia Scholaris linn. R.Br. International Journal of PharmTech Research. 2010; 2(1):18-25.

10. Sen S, Sahu NP, Mahato SB. Flavonol glycosides from Calotropis gigantea. Phytochemistry 1992; 31: 2919-2921.

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