Plant Extracts as Possible Agents for Sequela of Cancer Therapies and Cachexia

Abstract

Cancer is a leading cause of the death worldwide. Since the National Cancer Act in 1971, various cancer treatments were developed including chemotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy and so forth. However, sequela of such cancer therapies and cachexia are problem to the patients. The primary mechanism of cancer sequela and cachexia is closely related to reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inflammation. As antioxidant properties of numerous plant extracts have been widely reported, plant-derived drugs may have efficacy on managing the sequela and cachexia. In this study, recent seventy-four studies regarding plant extracts showing ability to manage the sequela and cachexia were reviewed. Some plant-derived antioxidants inhibited cancer proliferation and inflammation after surgery and others prevented chemotherapy-induced normal cell apoptosis. Also, there are plant extracts that suppressed radiation-induced oxidative stress and cell damage by elevation of glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and regulation of B-cell lymphoma 2 (BcL-2) and Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax). Cachexia was also alleviated by inhibition of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) by plant extracts. This review focuses on the potential of plant extracts as great therapeutic agents by controlling oxidative stress and inflammation.

Comparative Content, Biological and Anticancer Activities of Heracleum humile Extracts Obtained by Ultrasound‐Assisted Extraction Method

“…For example, pain, infection and micrometastasis create risks after surgery. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy can damage healthy cells and therefore cause some side effects such as fatigue, anorexia, edema and fever [58] . Safe, new, and clinically effective approaches are needed to overcome these side effects and treatment limitations.…”

“…Chemotherapy and radiotherapy can damage healthy cells and therefore cause some side effects such as fatigue, anorexia, edema and fever. [58] Safe, new, and clinically effective approaches are needed to overcome these side effects and treatment limitations. Plants offer hopeful results in fighting cancer as they have a resource of extraordinary chemical structures and a broad range of biological activities.…”

Targeting the Antioxidant Enzymes for the Treatment of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)-Induced Cancer

“…Several plant extracts that are found to exert anticancer activity regulate the expression of SOD, CAT, and GPx (Lee et al 2020). The therapeutic utility of SOD is hampered due to several factors such as short half-life, increased plasma clearance, and instability.…”

Therapeutic Potential of Natural Products in Treatment of Cervical Cancer: A Review

“…Another therapy is targeted therapy, which regulates epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) [4,5] and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) [6,7] for treating cervical carcinoma. However, these treatments showed possible side effects and complications: Surgery could cause bleeding, damage to the organs around the surgery, and a risk of clots in the deep veins of the legs, radiotherapy could yield menopause, infertility, discomfort, or pain with intercourse, and the side effects of chemotherapy may affect not only cancer cells but also rapidly dividing cells in systems of the whole body [8,9]. Moreover, the drugs that are usually prescribed for cervical cancer showed several side effects and drug resistance [10].…”