Abstract
Plant-derived natural products are significant resources for drug discovery and development including appreciable potentials in preventing and managing oxidative stress, making them promising candidates in cancer and other disease therapeutics. Their effects have been linked to phytochemicals such as phenolic compounds and their antioxidant activities. The abundance and complexity of these bio-constituents highlight the need for well-defined in vitro characterization and quantification of the plant extracts/preparations that can translate to in vivo effects and hopefully to clinical use. This review article seeks to provide relevant information about the applicability of cell-based assays in assessing anti-cytotoxicity of phytochemicals considering several traditional and current methods.
Highlights
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide
The rising prominence of cancer as a leading cause of death in combination with limited clinical interventions clearly compromises the effects of treatment on population trends in cancer mortality, even in developed countries [2]
Chemotherapy has been used as a neoadjuvant therapy to reduce the size of solid tumors before surgical removal, and adjuvant therapy has been used after surgery or radiotherapy, with promising results [4]
Summary
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. It is the first or second leading cause of death prior to age 70 in 112 of 183 countries and third or fourth leading cause in a further 23 countries, according to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates in 2019 [1]. Increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels have been found in almost all cancers and are thought to play an important role in the initiation and progression of cancers [6]. These highly reactive ions and molecules are produced during normal metabolism of cells but are present in higher levels in cancer cells due to increased metabolic activity, mitochondrial dysfunction, peroxisome activity, increased cellular receptor signaling, oncogene activity, increased activity of oxidases, cyclooxygenases, lipoxygenases and thymidine phosphorylase, or through crosstalk with infiltrating immune cells [6]. With increasing interest in natural products, scientists continue to consider plants, which are natural sources of exogenous antioxidants, as possible sources of effective treatments for different cancers
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
