Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Nov 14;25(22):5319.
doi: 10.3390/molecules25225319.

Plant-Derived Natural Products in Cancer Research: Extraction, Mechanism of Action, and Drug Formulation

Wamidh H Talib  1 , Izzeddin Alsalahat  2 , Safa Daoud  2 , Reem Fawaz Abutayeh  2 , Asma Ismail Mahmod  1
Affiliations
Review

Plant-Derived Natural Products in Cancer Research: Extraction, Mechanism of Action, and Drug Formulation

Wamidh H Talib et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Cancer is one of the main causes of death globally and considered as a major challenge for the public health system. The high toxicity and the lack of selectivity of conventional anticancer therapies make the search for alternative treatments a priority. In this review, we describe the main plant-derived natural products used as anticancer agents. Natural sources, extraction methods, anticancer mechanisms, clinical studies, and pharmaceutical formulation are discussed in this review. Studies covered by this review should provide a solid foundation for researchers and physicians to enhance basic and clinical research on developing alternative anticancer therapies.

Keywords: alternative anticancer therapies; curcumin; natural products; plant extracts; thymoquinon.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The chemical structure of curcumin.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The chemical structure of resveratrol.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The chemical structure of epigallocatechin gallate.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The chemical structure of allicin.
Figure 5
Figure 5
The chemical structure of emodin.
Figure 6
Figure 6
The chemical structure of thymquinone.
Figure 7
Figure 7
The chemical structure of genistein.
Figure 8
Figure 8
The chemical structure of parthenolide.
Figure 9
Figure 9
The chemical structure of luteolin.
Figure 10
Figure 10
The chemical structure of quercetin.
Figure 11
Figure 11
The chemical structure of paclitaxel.
Figure 12
Figure 12
The chemical structure of vincristine.
Figure 13
Figure 13
The chemical structure of acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Bray F., Ferlay J., Soerjomataram I., Siegel R.L., Torre L.A., Jemal A. Global cancer statistics 2018: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. Ca A Cancer J. Clin. 2018;68:394–424. doi: 10.3322/caac.21492. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Talib W.H., AbuKhader M.M. Combinatorial effects of thymoquinone on the anticancer activity and hepatotoxicity of the prodrug CB 1954. Sci. Pharm. 2013;81:519–530. doi: 10.3797/scipharm.1211-15. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Atanasov A.G., Waltenberger B., Pferschy-Wenzig E.-M., Linder T., Wawrosch C., Uhrin P., Temml V., Wang L., Schwaiger S., Heiss E.H. Discovery and resupply of pharmacologically active plant-derived natural products: A review. Biotechnol. Adv. 2015;33:1582–1614. doi: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2015.08.001. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Dias D.A., Urban S., Roessner U. A historical overview of natural products in drug discovery. Metabolites. 2012;2:303–336. doi: 10.3390/metabo2020303. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wright G.D. Opportunities for natural products in 21 st century antibiotic discovery. Nat. Prod. Rep. 2017;34:694–701. - PubMed