Cancer-Fighting Phytochemicals: Another Look

Abstract

Plant chemicals, known as phytochemicals present in a number of fruits, vegetables, greens, herbs, and marine organisms, algae, seaweed, and sponge contain large amount of bioactive compounds/nutrients. They have various health benefits, including antioxidant, anti-cancer, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and antibiotic properties. Today, researchers exploring the characterization of various traditional plants and plant constituents and marine organisms against a number of cancers, such as lung cancer and cervical cancer. There exists thousands of phytochemicals, which provide notable health benefits. Most spices, fruits and vegetables contain phytochemicals and their nutritional constituents are being intensively studied to evaluate their effects on health and cancer treatment. In this review, the phytochemicals, such as alkaloids, tannins, saponins, steroid, terpenoid, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, etc. in various fruits, medical plants, and marine red algae are screened and studied for their phytochemical components.