ANTI - CANCER EFFECTS OF PLANT SECONDARY METABOLITES AGAINST VARIOUS CANCER

 

1. INTRODUCTION

     Secondary metabolites are not essential for the growth and development of plants, but they have important accessory activities such as help in defence against herbivory, growth inhibition of competing plants, bacterial and fungal pathogens and aiding in pollination. Notable anticancer alkaloids include vinblastine, vincristine and camptothecin; terpenoids include lycopene and gamma-tocopherol; polyphenols include etoposide, resveratrol, curcumin and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG); and flavonoids include apigenin, genistein and kaempferol. These bioactive compounds exert anticancer effects either independently or synergistically with other compounds through regulation of metabolic and signalling pathways, inhibition of enzymes vital for cancer progression, angiogenesis, microtubule assembly and inducing apoptosis.  

2. ANTI - CANCER EFFECTS OF PLANT SECONDARY METABOLITES

     The hallmark of a cancer cell is its uncontrolled rate of proliferation. A cancer cell alters its physiology to meet the nutritional and energy requirements. In case of scarcity of nutrients and energy, cancer cells are able to modulate their pathways and continue proliferation. These alteration are in the form of modification in metabolic pathways, signalling pathways an enzymatic regulation.  These metabolic alteration mainly focus on rapid ATP production, synthesis of macromolecules needed for cell progression and regulation of appropriate redox state. 

     By understanding those pathways, researchers used different secondary metabolites from plants against Various Lung Cancer.

2.1. ANTICANCER EFFECT OF NARINGENIN AGAINST BREAST CANCER

In 2015, Using the concept of Warn burg Effect, throne and Campbell it has been reported that glucose transporters (GLUT) are up - regulated in cancer in a cell - specific manner. (The Warburg and colleagues made the observation that tumour cells produce energy predominantly not through the usual citric acid cycle and oxidation phosphorylation in the mitochondria as observed in normal cells, but through a less efficient process of 'aerobic glycolysis' consisting of high level of glucose uptake and glycolysis followed by lactic acid fermentation).  Target GLUT presents a viable strategy for cancer inhibition and treatment. Plant extract have been shown to target GLUT. For example, naringenin, a flavonoid presents in grapes inhibits glucose uptake in MCF- 7 Breast cancer cell by inhibiting the phosphoinositide 3 - kinase (PI3K) pathway that regulate glucose transporter, GLUT 4. 

2.2. ANTICANCER EFFECTS OF DELPHINDIN AGAINST NON SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER

In 2017, Kim Ed et al, reported the antiangiogenic activity of delphinidin. Delphinidin is a flavonoid which is abundantly found in fruits, flowers and leaves of plants.  They found that delphinidin decreases the expression level of HIF - 1, which is a VEGF transcription factor. (VEGF - Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor is a homodimer glycoprotein, it is main key factor in the process of making new blood Vessels. These Vascular endothelium, a monolayer of endothelial cells, Constitutes the inner cellular lining of arteries, Veins and Capillaries and therefore is in direct contact with the components and cells of blood).  

ADVANTAGES 

 The Production of secondary metabolites from plant cells via in vitro techniques under aseptic conditions as the potential of providing an unlimited supply of targeted compounds. The PTC is not used to synthesize the Anticancer compounds but also biopharmaceuticals including therapeutics antibodies for other diseases. The advantage of the callus culture, is we can maintain the cell at the stationary phase by providing the unlimited supply of the target secondary compounds. 

• Because of their targeted action, these drugs have an effect on the cancer cells and mostly leave normal, healthy cell alone. Traditional chemotherapy is cytotoxic to most cells, meaning it can damage normal, healthy cells in addition to damaging and killing cancer cells. 
• For the Cancer stages, I, IIA, IIB, IIIB, IIIC, the target therapy is not need, but the Stage IV treatment which includes Target therapy with Angiogenesis inhibitor, Target therapy with Apoptosis Initiator. 

DISADVANTAGES

                                                 RESEARCH CARRIED OUT BY IIT MADRAS

• They collect the plant which synthesize the cyclopeptides as a secondary metabolites, which is used as target molecule against the cancer cells. 
• They collect from the Himalayas and the ooty region, then they cultivated that in the horticulture in IIT madras. After 3 years they begin the study by characterizing the different types of cyclopeptides in the plants.
  
  
• RESULT:  What they found is the plant species from Himalaya and ooty, which was cultivated in the IIT Madras, they show Different array of Peptides, and its also synthesize the new proteins which are not in the plants in the Himalayas. This study which concludes, there is high impact of Climatic and Geographical Variabilities.