Title:The Role of Phytochemicals in Cancer Prevention: A Review with Emphasis
on Baicalein, Fisetin, and Biochanin A
Volume: 23
Issue: 12
Author(s): Juhi Rais*, Habiba Khan and Mohd. Arshad*
Affiliation:
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, U.P., India
- Department of Zoology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, 202002, U.P., India
Keywords:
Cancer, Ovarian cancer, Nutraceuticals, Phytomedicines, Baicalein, Fisetin, Biochanin A.
Abstract: Cancer is a disease in which repeated rounds of mutations cause uncontrolled growth of
cells, which prospers at the expense of their neighbor cells and then eventually leads to the destruction
of the whole cellular community. Chemopreventive drugs either prevent DNA damage, which
results in malignancy, or they stop or reverse the division of premalignant cells with DNA damage,
which inhibits the growth of cancer. There is an obvious need for an alternate strategy given the ongoing
rise in cancer incidence, the ineffectiveness of traditional chemotherapies to control cancer,
and the excessive toxicity of chemotherapies. From antiquity to date, the saga of the usage of plants
as medicine has been the mainstay among people worldwide. In recent years, extensive studies have
been conducted on medicinal plants, spices, and nutraceuticals, as these have gained much popularity
in reducing the risk of several cancer types in humans. Extensive studies on cell culture systems
and animal models have demonstrated that various medicinal plants and nutraceuticals from various
natural resources and their products, such as major polyphenolic constituents, flavones, flavonoids,
antioxidants, etc, provide considerable protection against many cancer types. As shown in the literatures,
the major aim of studies conducted is to develop preventive/therapeutic agents which can induce
apoptosis in cancer cells without affecting normal cells. Projects are going on worldwide to
find better ways to eradicate the disease. The study of phytomedicines has shed new light on this
topic as research to date has proven that they have antiproliferative and apoptotic capabilities that
will aid in the development of novel cancer prevention options. Dietary substances, such as Baicalein,
Fisetin, and Biochanin A have shown that they have an inhibitory effect on cancer cells,
suggesting that they may work as chemopreventive agents. This review discusses the chemopreventive
and anticancer mechanisms of such reported natural compounds.
