Abstract
Purpose: To systematically review all the studies that have addressed the anti-cancer activities of the VA leaf extract in vitro to determine the strength of evidence of its anti-cancer effects and whether it can be used as an effective cancer therapy.Methods: The databases of Scopus, Science Direct, PubMed, Springer, and Directory of Open Access Journals were searched for relevant articles. Only articles published in the English language from January 2000 to November 2018 were selected for full-text retrieval and review, before being included in the final review.Results: From a total of 28 articles identified for full-text retrieval, only 17 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The papers reviewed showed that VA decreases cell viability, inhibits DNA synthesis and causes DNA damage in cancer cells. VA also induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in cancer cells via gene regulation. All in all, there is evidence showing that VA possesses time- and concentration-dependent anti-cancer activity.Conclusion: The VA leaf extract has the potential to be developed into cancer therapeutics. However, more research is needed on its effect on normal cells before VA is developed into a cancer therapeutic.
 Keywords: Vernonia amygdalina, Anti-cancer effect, DNA damage, Apoptosis
Highlights
Cancer prevalence and mortality rates are on the increase globally
10 μg/ml of extract inhibited growth by 54% for cells in serum-free medium whereas it was only 7% in serum medium. 97% DNA synthesis was inhibited when treated with 1000 μg/ml of extract. [3H] thymidine uptake decreased from 113,633 to 3708 counts per minute when exposed to 100 μg/ml of extract
Vernonia amygdalina shows potential to be used as a cancer therapeutics
Summary
Cancer prevalence and mortality rates are on the increase globally. With the improvement of cancer therapeutics, the proportion of cancer patients who survive for more than five years after diagnosis has increased. Cancer therapeutics that are available, such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy are often associated with adverse side effects and significant morbidity [1,2). Incorporating complementary and alternative therapies into conventional cancer treatment could potentially reduce the side effects. Searches were aided by scanning bibliographies of articles. Articles undergoing fulltext reviewal were conducted independently by two reviewers. Data from the articles were extracted by summarizing each article using tables and written descriptions
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