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Review
. 2023 Oct 4:14:1236123.
doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1236123. eCollection 2023.

Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. - anticancer properties and phytochemicals: current trends and future perspectives

Jiao Wang  1 , Neeraj Rani  2   3 , Seema Jakhar  4 , Rakesh Redhu  4 , Sanjiv Kumar  3 , Sachin Kumar  3 , Sanjeev Kumar  3 , Bhagwati Devi  2 , Jesus Simal-Gandara  5 , Bairong Shen  1 , Rajeev K Singla  1   6
Affiliations
Review

Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. - anticancer properties and phytochemicals: current trends and future perspectives

Jiao Wang et al. Front Plant Sci. .

Abstract

Cancer is a leading cause of mortality worldwide, and conventional cancer therapies such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy often result in undesirable and adverse effects. Natural products have emerged as a promising alternative for cancer treatment, with comparatively fewer side effects reported. Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill., a member of the Cactaceae family, contains a diverse array of phytochemicals, including flavonoids, polyphenols, betalains, and tannins, which have been shown to exhibit potent anticancer properties. Various parts of the Opuntia plant, including the fruits, stems/cladodes, and roots, have demonstrated cytotoxic effects against malignant cell lines in numerous studies. This review comprehensively summarizes the anticancer attributes of the phytochemicals found in Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill., highlighting their potential as natural cancer prevention and treatment agents. Bibliometric metric analysis of PubMed and Scopus-retrieved data using VOSviewer as well as QDA analysis provide further insights and niche to be explored. Most anticancer studies on Opuntia ficus-indica and its purified metabolites are related to colorectal/colon cancer, followed by melanoma and breast cancer. Very little attention has been paid to leukemia, thyroid, endometrial, liver, and prostate cancer, and it could be considered an opportunity for researchers to explore O. ficus-indica and its metabolites against these cancers. The most notable mechanisms expressed and validated in those studies are apoptosis, cell cycle arrest (G0/G1 and G2/M), Bcl-2 modulation, antiproliferative, oxidative stress-mediated mechanisms, and cytochrome c. We have also observed that cladodes and fruits of O. ficus-indica have been more studied than other plant parts, which again opens the opportunity for the researchers to explore. Further, cell line-based studies dominated, and very few studies were related to animal-based experiments. The Zebrafish model is another platform to explore. However, it seems like more in-depth studies are required to ascertain clinical utility of this biosustainable resource O. ficus-indica.

Keywords: Opuntia ficus-indica; antioxidant; cancer; phytochemicals; prickly pear.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(A) Opuntia ficus-indica. (B) Number of publications related to Opuntia ficus-indica over the period until 02.06.2023, as indicated in PubMed. (C) Term interaction map based on the literature related to Opuntia ficus-indica (the data obtained from PubMed dated 02.06.2023 and processed in VOSviewer).
Figure 2
Figure 2
MeSH Term interaction map based on the literature related to Opuntia ficus-indica (the data obtained from PubMed dated 02.06.2023 and processed in VOSviewer).
Figure 3
Figure 3
MeSH terms interaction map based on the literature on Opuntia ficus-indica and cancer (the data obtained from PubMed dated 01.08.2023 and processed in VOSviewer).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Bibliometric analysis of manuscript published with search terms Opuntia ficus-indica and cancer (the data obtained from Scopus dated 01.08.2023). (A): Documents by year; (B): Documents by author; (C): Documents by type; (D): Documents by country or territory.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Indexed keywords interaction map based on the literature related to Opuntia ficus-indica and cancer (the data obtained from Scopus dated 01.08.2023 and processed in VOSviewer).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Structure of some of the phytochemicals isolated from O. ficus-indica. (A) Malic acid; (B) Quinic acid; (C) Aconitic acid; (D) Cinnamic acid; (E) Chlorogenic Acid; (F) p-Coumaric acid; (G) Ferulic acid; (H) Caffeic Acid; (I) Sinapic acid; (J) Dimethoxycinnamic acid; (K): Gallic acid; (L) Protocatechuic acid; (M) Quercetin; (N) Catechin; (O) Rutin; (P) Naringenin; (Q) Naringin.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Synthesis of coumaric acid.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Synthesis of ferulic acid.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Structure of some of the phytochemicals isolated from O. ficus-indica. (A) Hesperidin; (B) Betanin; (C) Portulacaxanthin I; (D) Portulacaxanthin III; (E) Gomphrenin-I; (F) Vulgaxanthin I; (G) Vulgaxanthin-II; (H) Miraxanthin-II; (I) Lutein; (J) Carotene; (K) Cryptoxanthin; (L) Violaxanthin.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Structure of some of the phytochemicals isolated from O. ficus-indica. (A) Antheraxanthin; (B) Zeaxanthin; (C) Neoxanthin; (D) Linoleic Acid; (E) Sitosterol; (F) Campesterol; (G) Taurine.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Phytochemicals present in O. ficus-indica and their phytochemical class.
Figure 12
Figure 12
Quantitative data analysis-based study to understand the overall prevalence and dominating key terms in papers published with “Opuntia ficus-indica” and “Cancer”.
Figure 13
Figure 13
Quantitative data analysis-based study to understand the prevalence and dominating key terms in papers published with “Opuntia ficus-indica” and “Cancer.” (A) Prevalence of the studied phytochemicals; (B) Prevalence of the study’s phytochemical classes.
Figure 14
Figure 14
Quantitative data analysis-based study to understand the prevalence of the type of cancer being studied in papers published with “Opuntia ficus-indica” and “Cancer”.
Figure 15
Figure 15
Quantitative data analysis-based study to understand the most studied and covered anticancer and related mechanisms in papers published with “Opuntia ficus-indica” and “Cancer”.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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