What is Bioactive Compounds?

Bioactive compounds, including polyphenols and phenolic acids or flavonoids, etc., have antioxidant and pro-oxidant properties. These compounds show high specificity because probably they act as an anti-oxidant and pro-oxidant. Approximately 60% of drugs currently used for cancer treatment have been isolated from natural products and the plant kingdom has been the most significant source. These include Vinca alkaloids, Taxus diterpenes, Camptotheca alkaloids ,and Podophyllum lignans. The pro-oxidant activity is the major cause for obstructing the growth factors related to different signalling pathways that triggers cancer. Although, usually this kind of compounds helps for dispatching the apoptosis in cervical cancer cell. Apoptosis generally describes the programmed cell death. The initial screenings for plants used for cancer treatment arecell-based assays using established cell lines, in which the toxic effects of plant extracts or isolated compounds can be measured. According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), plant extracts and pure compounds with cytotoxic ED50 (Effective Dose 50) values between 4g/l to 30g/l, are considered active.

Since time immemorial, plants have always been a very good source of drugs and many beneficial uses of medicinal plants are extensively documented in traditional system of medicine of many cultures. Traditional medicines from plants offer great potential for the discovery of novel anti-cervical cancer drugs. There are several sources of anti-cervical cancer drugs: plants, vegetables, herbs and spices used in folk medicine. The synergistic effect of the individual active components of these extracts and their molecular mechanisms involved need further investigation in order to evaluate the potential of these compounds as anticancer agents. The protective effects of natural products have been related to the presence of phytochemicals, bioactive non-nutrient plant compounds which commonly have complementary and overlapping mechanisms of action, including free radical scavenging, anti mutagenesis, induction of apoptosis in cancer cell lines.

Compound Example Property of action

Vincia alkaloids Vincristine , vinbristine Antimitotic agent (binds to and stabilizes microtubules)

Flavonoids Quercetin, kaempferol, Anti-oxidative, antiproliferative, inhibition of tumor formation and migration

Stilbinoids Resveratrol Anti-oxidant, anti-imflammatory antiproliferative action

Curcumin Turmeric Anti-adhesive, tumor suppressive growth, anti-metastatic, proapoptotic

Benzoic acids Gallnuts, oak bark, tea leaves Antioxidative, antiimflammatory, antiinvasive, suppression of tumor growth

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