Assessment of Anticancer Properties of Betelvine

Abstract

Betelvine (Piper betle) leaves are known for its medicinal properties since 600 AD practiced in Ayurvedic system of medicine. It is a cash crop for many Southeast Asian countries and is, therefore, also known as “Green Gold.” Widely consumed as masticator, betelvine leaves are a rich source of phenolic compounds having antiproliferative, antimutagenic, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties. The Piper betel leaf (PBL) extract is used as an antiseptic in cuts and wounds, is used as a diuretic, helps in digestion, and treats boils, conjunctivitis, stomach problems, hysteria, itches, leucorrhea, and ringworm. Also, the PBL extract is used as adjunct in Ayurvedic medicines, and the essential oil obtained from the betelvine leaves has antimicrobial and antiprotozoal activities. The high amounts of phenolic compounds present in betelvine leaf extract are of antioxidant nature which plays a key role to serve several medicinal properties. Apart from these medicinal properties reported since Ayurvedic times, modern researches have proved them to bear anticancer properties too. The compounds that confer the anticancer activity to betelvine leaves include antioxidant compounds such as eugenol, hydroxychavicol, β-carotene, and ascorbic acid, all of which are known for scavenging free radicals, thereby preventing cellular damages. In the present chapter, we have discussed the advances in betelvine research in the field of cancer as a cancer suppressor, killing agent for cancer cells, as nutraceutical and other medicinal properties helpful in cancer therapy.