Oxidative Stress Modulation and ROS-Mediated Toxicity in Cancer: A Review on In Vitro Models for Plant-Derived Compounds

Abstract

Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) are known and have been long in use for a variety of health and cosmetics applications. Potential pharmacological usages that take advantage of bioactive plant-derived compounds' antimicrobial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties are being developed and many new ones explored. Some phytochemicals could trigger ROS-mediated cytotoxicity and apoptosis in cancer cells. A lot of effort has been put into investigating novel active constituents for cancer therapeutics. While other plant-derived compounds might enhance antioxidant defenses by either radical scavenging or stimulation of intracellular antioxidant enzymes, the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) leading to oxidative stress is one of the strategies that may show effective in damaging cancer cells. The biochemical pathways involved in plant-derived bioactive compounds' properties are complex, and in vitro platforms have been useful for a comprehensive understanding of the mechanism of action of these potential anticancer drugs. The present review aims at compiling the findings of particularly interesting studies that use cancer cell line models for assessment of antioxidant and oxidative stress modulation properties of plant-derived bioactive compounds.

Chemical fingerprint and bioactivity evaluation of Globularia orientalis L. and Globularia trichosantha Fisch. & C. A. Mey. using non‐targeted HPLC‐ESI‐QTOF‐MS approach

“…O 2 ·− , superoxide radical; OH · , hydroxyl radical) and non‐radical forms (H 2 O 2 , hydrogen peroxide; 1 O 2 , singlet oxygen) are continuously generated as a consequence of metabolic activities in living organisms. The imbalance of ROS levels and cellular antioxidant endogenous mechanisms of the body leads to oxidative stress, which has a direct and/or indirect role in the pathology of many chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and dementia . In line with the increasing strong consumer demand for safe medication from natural sources to combat oxidative stress, there has been a renewed interest and engagement of researchers in evaluating medicinal plants in the quest for novel sources of antioxidants over the last decade.…”

α‐Hederin induces the apoptosis of gastric cancer cells accompanied by glutathione decrement and reactive oxygen species generation via activating mitochondrial dependent pathway

“…GSH is one of the most important hydrophilic antioxidant that could protect cells against exogenous or endogenous toxins, including ROS (Forman et al, ). At present, mounting studies indicate that ROS plays a two‐side role correlation to cancer initiation, transformation, progression, angiogenesis, and metastasis (Sosa et al, ; Vallejo, Salazar, et al, ; Wu, ). On the one hand, the overproduction of ROS at a high level will participate in severe cell damage or death of malignant cancer cells mainly through triggering signal pathways of cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and senescence (de Souza, Kviecinski, et al, ; Ding et al, ; Sodrul, Wang, Chen, du, & Sun, ).…”

“…GSH is one of the most important hydrophilic antioxidant that could protect cells against exogenous or endogenous toxins, including ROS (Forman et al, 2009). At present, mounting studies indicate that ROS plays a two-side role correlation to cancer initiation, transformation, progression, angiogenesis, and metastasis (Sosa et al, 2013;Vallejo, Salazar, et al, 2017;Wu, 2006). On the one hand, the induced an increase in the protein levels of Bax, cleaved caspase-3 and caspase-9, and a decrease in Bcl-2 level.…”

Anti-Migratory and Pro-Apoptotic Properties of Parvifloron D on Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells

“…Phytotherapy is as old as the human civilization itself and has been used over the centuries for a variety of health conditions [1,2]. Nowadays, multiple efforts are in motion to assess the potential pharmacological activity of plant-derived compounds as antimicrobial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer agents [2,3]. Many existing classical anticancer drugs have a plant source.…”