The effectiveness of Satureja khuzistanica against cancerous cells

Abstract

Plants play an important role in cancer prevention and treatment. Satureja khuzistanica, an endemic plant to Iranian flora is widely distributed in the southern and western parts of Iran. It is famous for its medical uses as analgesic and antiseptic in folk medicine. It has been showed that Satureja khuzistanica possess inhibitory effects on the proliferation and reproduction of certain tumorigenic microorganisms and viruses, such as Heliobacter pylori. Transcriptional regulation of some oncogene and carcinogenesis-related gene expression and interaction with both DNA and RNA are also well documented. Besides, Satureja khuzistanica is a spectrum enzyme inhibitor. More importantly, the suppression of tumor growth and metastasis, the beneficial application in combined medication, and the improvement of multidrug resistance both in vivo and in vitro clearly show its potential as an alternative medicine for tumor chemotherapy.