Antioxidants as adjuvant in cancer therapy: A systematic review

Abstract

While cancer therapies can effectively remove malignant cells from the body, their efficacy is mostly limited to a number of harmful side effects. Antioxidant treatment is therefore frequently necessary to lessen these negative effects by lowering reactive species levels and minimizing chronic oxidative damage. Antioxidants have a crucial role in inhibiting the production of reactive nitrogen and oxygen species as well as their activities. Reviewing the role of antioxidants in the development or prevention of cancer was the goal of this study. It is thought that antioxidants can both prevent and treat different kinds of cancer. As of right now, cancer prevention and treatment have primarily involved consuming natural antioxidant substances. These are unquestionably cell-type- and Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)-specific, as evidenced by alterations in gene expression, cellular activities, and mechanisms of cell death. By decreasing hydrogen donors or quenching singlet oxygen and postponing oxidative reactions in cancer cells that are actively developing, natural antioxidants eliminate an overabundance of free radical intermediates. The primary topics covered in this study are antioxidant categorization, metabolic regulation, and antioxidant involvement in cancer treatment.