ANTI CANCER PROPERTIES OF PLANTS PRESENT IN WEST GODAVARI DISTRICT OF ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA- A MINI REVIEW

ANTI CANCER PROPERTIES OF PLANTS PRESENT IN WEST GODAVARI DISTRICT OF ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA- A MINI REVIEW

Venkata Narasimha Kadali ^*, Sudhakara Rao Pola and B. V. Sandeep

Department of Biotechnology, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam - 530003, Andhra Pradesh, India.

ABSTRACT: Cancer is a fatal disease characterized by the abnormal growth of cells. Various factors cause cancer. Synthetic modern medicines have high toxic effects on other systems of the body such as renal system, circulatory system, etc. To reduce those toxic effects the scientific world is trying to find inhibitors from the herbal sources. Always the plants proved to be effective and efficient in curing fatal diseases. In this review, an attempt has been made to review the some of the medicinal plants such as Allium sativum, Aloe vera, Curcuma longa, Picrorhiza kurroa, Withania somnifera, Ananas cosmosus, Annona squamosa, etc., of about 10 species that have anti-cancerous activity present in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, India.

Cancer, Herbal sources, Synthetic modern medicines, Medicinal plants

INTRODUCTION: Cancer is the abnormal growth of cells in our bodies that can lead to death. Cancer cells usually invade and destroy healthy cells ¹. The necessary preventive methods for most of the cancers include dietary changes, stopping the use of tobacco products, treating inflammatory diseases effectively, and taking nutritional supplements that aid immune functions ². Several chemopreventive agents are used to treat cancer, but they cause toxicity that prevents their usage ³. More than 50% of all modern drugs in clinical use are of natural products, many of which can control cancer cells ⁴. Medicinal plants are gaining a lot of importance nowadays because of efficacy they have been showing in the traditional healing ⁵. Plants used in traditional medicine have stood up to the test of time and contributed many novel compounds for preventive and curative medicine to modern science ⁶.

The best source of drugs without dangerous effect to human systems could be the plant source, and this has been proved by the traditional healing system and the recent studies conducted on the experimental animals ⁷.

Types of Cancers: ⁸

1. Cancers of Blood and Lymphatic Systems

1. Hodgkins disease,
2. Leukemias,
3. Lymphomas,
4. Multiple myelomas,
5. Waldenstrom's disease

2. Skin Cancers:

1. Malignant Melanoma

3. Cancers of Digestive Systems:

1. Esophageal cancer
2. Stomach cancer
3. Cancer of the pancreas
4. Liver cancer
5. Colon and Rectal cancer
6. Anal cancer

4. Cancers of the Urinary system:

1. Kidney cancer
2. Bladder cancer
3. Testis cancer
4. Prostate cancer

5. Cancers in Women:

1. Breast cancer
2. Ovarian cancer
3. Gynecological cancer
4. Choriocarcinoma

6. Miscellaneous Cancers:

1. Brain cancer
2. Bone cancer
3. Carcinoid cancer
4. Nasopharyngeal cancer
5. Retroperitoneal sarcomas
6. Soft tissue cancer
7. Thyroid cancer

Causes of Cancer: ⁹ Cause of cancer may be various types. They are viral and chemical carcinogens, Tobacco, Ionizing radiations, Heredity, Oncogenes and Tumour suppressor genes, Diet, Immune system, Hormonal imbalance, Occupational exposure, Reproductive factors, Sedentary lifestyle, Alcohol, Drugs, and Pollution.

The Mechanism of Cancer Therapy: ¹⁰

1. Cancer cell proliferation inhibited directly by stimulating macrophage phagocytosis, natural killer cell activity enhances.
2. Promoting apoptosis of cancer cells by increasing production of interferon-I, interleukin-2, immunoglobulin and complement in blood serum.
3. Enforcing the necrosis of the tumor and inhibiting its translocation and spread by blocking the blood source of tumor tissue.
4. Stimulating the hemopoietic function to enhance the number of leukocytes and platelets.
5. Promoting the reverse transformation from tumor cells into normal cells.
6. Promoting metabolism and preventing carcinogenesis of normal cells.
7. Stimulating appetite, improving quality of sleep, relieving pain, thus benefiting patients health.

Allium sativum (Amaryllidaceae): Rajeev Nema et al., (2014) used Allium Sativum (Bulb) Polyphenolic Compound activity on MCF-7, A549 and PA-1 cancer cell lines (breast, lung, and ovary cancer respectively). Hydroalcoholic (1:1) extract of Allium Sativum (Bulb) was prepared and tested for their cytotoxic activities against cancer cell lines (MCF-7, A-549, and PA-1) with standard Doxorubicin. The hydroalcoholic extract showed potent anti-cancer activity on breast, lung, and ovary cancer cell lines ¹¹.

Aloe vera (Liliaceae): Antitumor activity of 50% ethanol extract (100 mg/kg) of Aloe vera was evaluated against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) tumor in mice. The extract was administered daily for 14 days. Hematological profile reverted towards normal levels, Aloe vera extract restored the serum biochemical parameters towards normal levels and decreased the levels of lipid peroxidation and increased the levels of reduced glutathione and other antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, and GPx). The 50% ethanol extract of Aloe vera exhibited an antitumor effect by modulating lipid peroxidation and augmenting antioxidant defense system in EAC bearing mice ¹².

Curcuma longa (Zingiberaceae): Hashim et al., (2013) evaluated Ethanolic turmeric extracts (ETE) as an anticancer agent by detecting the apoptotic induction and DNA damage activity of ETE which were investigated against two human leukemic cell lines, U937 (human monocytic leukemia cell line) and Molt4 (human lymphoblastic cell line). Ethanolic turmeric extracts (ETE) showed that have apoptogenic and DNA damage activity against two human leukemic cell lines ¹³.

Picrorhiza kurroa (Plantaginaceae): Hemanth Kumar, Ramesh (2014) evaluated the anticancer and cytotoxic potential of Nano encapsulated extract formulation from the rhizome of Picrorhiza kurroa enriched with Apocynin, caffeic esters, and cucurbitacins aglycone compounds, to produce any cytotoxic effect on mammalian cell lines. The test conducted using the MTT method using human hepatocarcinoma cells (HepG2) and Madin Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cell lines. Cytotoxic effect against HePG-2 cancer cell line is considered as a predictive anticancer activity. MDCK cytotoxicity results support that formulation is less cytotoxic in normal cell lines, as MDCK is a Non-Cancerous cell line ¹⁴.

Withania somnifera (Solanaceae): Rajeev Nema et al., (2013) determined the use of Withania Somnifera (leaves) Polyphenolic Compound activity on MCF-7, A549 and PA-1 cancer cell line (breast, lung, and ovary respectively). Hydroalcoholic (1:1) sample of Withania Somnifera (leaves) was prepared and tested for their cytotoxic activities against cancer cell lines (MCF7, A549 and PA1) with standard Doxorubicin. The hydroalcoholic extract showed efficient anti-cancer activity on breast, lung and ovary cancer cell lines ¹⁵.

Zingiber officinale (Zingiberaceae): Ginger leaf (GL) has long been used as a vegetable, tea, and herbal medicine. Park GH et al., (2014) evaluated the anti-cancer properties of ginger leaf and then elucidated the potential mechanisms involved. Exposure of GL to human colorectal cancer cells (HCT116, SW480, and LoVo cells) reduced the cell viability and induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. Also, GL reduced cell viability in MCF-7, MDA-MB-231 and HepG-2 cells ¹⁶.

Ananas cosmosus (Bromeliaceae): Stem bromelain (EC 3.4.22.32) is a significant cysteine proteinase, isolated from pineapple (Ananas comosus) stem. To verify the identity of the principle in stem fractions responsible for the antitumoral effect, bromelain was isolated to probe its pharmacological effects. The isolated bromelain was obtained from stems of adult pineapple plants by buffered aqueous extraction and cationic chromatography. The in-vivo antitumoral/ antileukemic activity was evaluated using the following panel of tumor lines: P-388 leukemia, sarcoma (S-37), Ehrlich ascitic tumor (EAT), Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC), MB-F10 melanoma and ADC-755 mammary adenocarcinoma. Bromelain has shown efficient anti-cancerous effects on above all cell lines ¹⁷.

Annona squamosa (Annonaceae): Seeds of Annona squamosa L. have been used in the south of China as a folk remedy to treat "malignant sores" (cancer). To investigate the chemical constituents and the anti-tumor activity of the standardized A. squamosa seeds extract in-vitro and in-vivo. Annonaceous acetogenin profiles of the standardized extract were determined by using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) techniques. Two major annonaceous acetogenins: 12, 15-cis-squamostatin-A and bullatacin were identified and quantified by HPLC.

The seed extract showed significant anti-tumor activity against four human tumor cell lines, especially for MCF-7 (IC₅₀ 0.25 μg/ml) and Hep G2 (IC(50). 0.36 μg/ml) cells in vitro. The extract Inhibited the growth of H(22) tumor cells in mice with a maximum inhibitory rate of 69.55% by oral administration. A. squamosa seed extract showed significant anti-tumor activities against human hepatoma cells in-vitro and in-vivo, indicating a potential for developing the extract as a novel anti-liver cancer drug ¹⁸.

Mentha citrata and Mentha longifolia (Lamiaceae): Sahar Y Al-Okbi et al., (2015) studied the anti-cancer and antioxidant activity of two nutraceuticals (mixtures of different extracts) prepared from Mentha citrata and Mentha longifolia aerial parts separately. The anti-cancer activity was evaluated in three cancer cell lines. Results showed inhibition of the three tested cancer cells (liver, cervix and colon carcinoma) by the tested nutraceuticals with variable degrees. Mentha citrata and Mentha longifolia possess antioxidant and anticancer effect that could be attributed to the presence of phytosterols, phenolic compounds, unsaturated fatty acids, and specific volatile constituents ¹⁹.

TABLE 1: SHOWS ANTI CANCER COMPOUNDS FROM PLANTS

CONCLUSION: As the severity of cancer is very high it is the responsibility of the scientific community to find inhibitors from the natural plant sources because of a lack of anarchic side effects and efficacy. Plants proved to be effective in curing a lot of deadly diseases. The plants mentioned above have anti-cancerous activity so that this review will be useful for further studies to find effective drugs from natural plant sources. Still, there are a lot of plants to be explored for anti-cancerous activity.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Authors wish to thank Professor B. V. Sandeep Head of the Department of Biotechnology Andhra University and Dr. Sudhakara Rao Pola, Dr. P. Bindiya for their continuous support.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST: Nil

REFERENCES:

1. Kaur R, Singh J, Singh G and Kaur H: Anticancer plants: A Review. J Nat Prod. Plant Resour 2011; 1(4): 131-136.
2. Madhuri S and Pandey G: Current Science 2009; 96(6): 779-83.
3. Kathiresan K, Boopathy NS and Kavitha S: Natural Product Radiance 2006; 5: 115-19.
4. Meyer JJM and Taylor MB: Journal of Ethnopharmacology 1996; 52: 41-43.
5. Kadali VN and Sandeep BV: Anti-hyperglycemic plants used by the traditional healer of west Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh, India. Int J Pharmacognosy 2015; 2(9): 473-77. doi link: http://dx.doi.org/10.13040/IJPSR.0975-8232.IJP.2(9).473-77.
6. Umadevi M, Kumar KPS, Bhowmik D and Duraive S: Traditionally used anticancer herbs in India. Journal of Medicinal Plants Studies 2013; 1(3): 56-74.
7. Kadali VN, Kindangi KR, Peter AE, Rao PS, Bindiya P and Sandeep BV: Hepato-protective herbs- present in West Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh, India- a mini review. International Journal of Medical and Health Research 2015; 1(1): 15-18.
8. Cancer index web site. Available at: http/www.cancerindex.org
9. Gurdeep K, Kapoor A and Kaur G: Ethnopharmacological review of Traditional herbal plants for Anticancer World Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences 2015; 4(9): 244-264.
10. Cancer web site. Available at: http/www.cancer.gov.
11. Nema R, Khare S and Pradhan A: Anticancer activity of Allium sativum (Bulb) polyphenolic compound Alka Pradhan Int J Pharm Sci Rev Res 2014; 29(1): 131-134.
12. Naveena, Bharath B K, Selvasubramanian. Antitumor Activity of Aloe Vera against Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma (Eac) In Swiss Albino Mice. International Journal of Pharma and Bio Sciences 2011; 2(2): 400-409.
13. Hashim FJ, Shawkat MS and Aljewari H: Anti-cancer effect of Curcuma longa on leukemic cell lines evaluated by apoptosis and comet assay. Int J Pharm Pharm Sci 2013; 5(3): 671-674.
14. Kumar MH and Ramesh C: Anticancer activity of nano-encapsulated formulation from the extracts of Picrorhiza kurroa against human cancer cell lines. Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 2014; 2(5): 182-185.
15. Nema R, Khare S, Jain P and Pradhan A: Anticancer activity of Withania somnifera (leaves) flavonoids compound. Int J Pharm Sci Rev Res 2013; 19(1): 103-106.
16. Park GH, Park JH, Song HM, Eo HJ, Kim MK, Lee JW, Lee MH, Cho KH, Lee JR, Cho HJ and Jeong JB: Anti-cancer activity of Ginger (Zingiber officinale) leaf through the expression of activating transcription factor 3 in human colorectal cancer cells. BMC Complement Altern Med 2014; 14: 408. doi: 10.1186/1472-6882-14-408.
17. Báez R, Lopes MT, Salas CE and Hernández M: In-vivo antitumoral activity of stem pineapple (Ananas comosus) bromelain.Planta Med 2007; 73(13): 1377-83. Epub 2007 Sep 24.
18. Chen Y, Xu SS, Chen JW, Wang Y, Xu HQ, Fan NB and Li X: Anti-tumor activity of Annona squamosa seeds extract containing annonaceous acetogenin compounds.J Ethnopharmacol. 2012; 142(2): 462-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2012.05.019. Epub 2012 May.
19. Al-Okbi SY, Fadel HHM and Mohamed DA: Phytochemical constituents, antioxidant and anticancer activity of Mentha citrata and Mentha longifolia. Research Journal of Pharmaceutical, Biological and Chemical Sciences 2015; 6(1): 739-751.
20. Wang HC, Tsai YL, Wu YC, Chang FR, Liu MH and Chen WY: Withanolides induced breast cancer cell death is correlated with their ability to inhibit heat protein90. PLoS One 2012; 7: e37764.
21. Wu B, Wang X, Chi ZF, Hu R, Zhang R and Yang W: Ursolic acid-induced apoptosis in K562 cells involving upregulation of PTEN gene expression and inactivation of the PI3K/Akt pathway. Arch Pharm Res 2012; 35: 543-8.
22. Barni MV, Carlini MJ, Cafferata EG, Puricelli L and Moreno S: Carnosic acid inhibits the proliferation and migration capacity of human colorectal cancer cells. Oncol Rep 2012; 27: 1041-8.
23. Rasul A, Yu B, Khan M, Zhang K, Iqbal F and Ma T: Magnolol, a natural compound, induces apoptosis of SGC-7901 human gastric adenocarcinoma cells via the mitochondrial and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways. Int J Oncol 2012; 40: 1153-61.
24. Lee JS, Jung WK, Jeong MH, Yoon TR and Kim HK: Sanguinarine induces apoptosis of HT-29 human colon cancer cells via the regulation of Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and caspase-9-dependent pathway. Int J Toxicol 2012; 31: 70-7.
25. Kawiak A, Zawacka-Pankau J and Lojkowska E: Plumbagin induces apoptosis in Her2-overexpressing breast cancer cells through the mitochondrial-mediated pathway. J Nat Prod 2012; 75: 747-51.
26. Hsu YL, Chen CY, Lin IP, Tsai EM, KuoPL and Hou MF: 4-Shogaol, an active constituent of dietary ginger, inhibits metastasis of MDA-MB-231 human breast adeno-carcinoma cells by decreasing the repression of NF-κB/Snail on RKIP. J Agric Food Chem 2012; 60: 852-61.
27. Liu Y and Luo W: Betulinic acid induces Bax/Bak-independent cytochrome c release in human naso-pharyngeal carcinoma cells. Mol Cells 2012; 33: 517-24.
28. Youn SH, Lee JS, Lee MS, Cha EY, Thuong PT and Kim JR: Anticancer properties of pomolic acid-induced AMP-activated protein kinase activation in MCF7 human breast cancer cells. Biol Pharm Bull 2012; 35: 105-10.
29. Wiczk A, Hofman D, Konopa G and Herman-Antosiewicz A: Sulforaphane, a cruciferous vegetable-derived isothiocyanate, inhibits protein synthesis in human prostate cancer cells. Biochi Biophys Acta 2012; 1823: 1295-305.
    

    ---

    How to cite this article:

    Kadali VN, Pola SR and Sandeep BV: Anti cancer properties of plants present in west Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, India- a mini review. Int J Pharmacognosy 2016; 3(2): 82-86. doi: 10.13040/IJPSR.0975-8232.3(2).82-86.

    ---

    This Journal licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-commercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

    ---