The Immunomodulatory Potential of Selected Bioactive Plant-Based Compounds in Breast Cancer: A Review

Abstract

Breast cancer has continued to cause high cancer death rates among women worldwide. The use of plants' natural products in breast cancer treatment has received more attention in recent years due to their potentially wider safety margin and the potential to complement conventional chemotherapeutic drugs. Plantbased products have demonstrated anticancer potential through different biological pathways including modulation of the immune system. Immunomodulatory properties of medicinal plants have been shown to mitigate breast cancer cell growth. Different immune cell types participate in this process especially cytotoxic T cells and natural killer cells, and cytokines including chemokines and tumor necrosis factor-α. Medicinal plants such as Glycyrrhiza glabra, Uncaria tomentosa, Camellia sinensis, Panax ginseng, Prunus armenaica (apricot), Allium sativum, Arctium lappa and Curcuma longa were reported to hold strong potential in breast cancer treatment in various parts of the world. Interestingly, research findings have shown that these plants possess bioactive immunomodulators as their main constituents producing the anticancer effects. These immunomodulatory compounds include ajoene, arctigenin, β-carotene, curcumin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, ginsan, glabridin and quinic acid. In this review, we discussed the ability of these eight immunomodulators in regulating the immune system potentially applicable in breast cancer treatment via anti-inflammatory (curcumin, arctigenin, glabridin and ajoene) and lymphocytes activation (β-carotene, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, quinic acid and ginsan) properties, as well as future research direction in their use for breast cancer treatment.

Effects of Chinaberry Tree Extract on Proliferation, Apoptosis, Migration and Cell Cycle Distribution of Human Breast Cancer Cells

“…Treatment for cancers with plant extracts has been a hotspot in the medical field. Given the single monomeric composition of plant extracts, those anticancer components can be easily separated and purified, with respect to breast cancer, would inhibit cancer growth in a more scientific and accurate way [10,11] . In this investigation, MCF-7 human breast cancer cells were treated with Szechwan Chinaberry extracts, followed by detection of cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and cyclic distribution using MTT assay, immunofluorescence, trans well assay and flow cytometry respectively, so as to determine the intervening effects of the extracts on these cells and their clinical applications.…”

Activation of reactive oxygen species-mediated mitogen-activated protein kinases pathway regulates both extrinsic and intrinsic apoptosis induced by arctigenin in Hep G2

“…Hep G2 cells were resuspended in PBS at 1 9 10 7 cells/ml, and 200 ll of the cell suspension was injected subcutaneously into the mouse armpit. Twenty-four mice were not divided into three groups until the xenograft tumours reached a size of approximate 100 mm 3 . In the ARG-treated group, the mice were subcutaneously injected with ARG at a dose of 20 mg/kg in a clear solution containing 40% polyethylene glycol and 10% ethanol at a volume of 50 ll every 2 days.…”

Therapeutic Value of Arctium Lappa Linn. – A Review

“…Inhibiting ROS generation almost abolished p38 and ERK1/2 phosphorylation, and the cytokine secretion could also be remarkably reduced by p38 and ERK1/2 inhibitors (SB203580 and UO126) [70]. Immunomodulatory compounds ajoene, arctigenin, β-carotene, curcumin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, ginsan, glabridin, and quinic acid were found in regulating the immune system potentially applicable in breast cancer treatment through anti-inflammatory (curcumin, arctigenin, glabridin, and ajoene) and lymphocytes activation (β-carotene, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, quinic acid, and ginsan) properties [71]. Allium sativum, Echinacea, Curcuma longa, AL, Camellia sinensis, Panax ginseng, Flax Withania somnifera, Amoora rohituka, Dysoxylum binectariferum, and Vaccinium macrocarpon, seed extracts and juices are used as antibreast cancer.…”