Combinatorial therapy of Cynodon dactylon and Metformin with Cisplatin in cervical cancer

Abstract

Cisplatin based chemoradiation (CRT) is the standard treatment for cervical cancer, which controls tumor growth and improves the overall survival of patients. However, patients undergoing chemo-radiation show widespread toxicities which may be either early or late. There is a constant effort to improve cancer therapy and overcome current challenges in cervical cancer by developing a combinatorial drug therapy using phytocompounds. In the present study, we review the combinatorial therapy of Cynodon dactylon and metformin with cisplatin as an alternative therapy for cervical cancer. During frequent exposures to chemotherapy, patients develop resistance to cisplatin, leading to cytotoxicity and recurrence. The conjugate of biologically active moieties of natural products along with cisplatin will probably lead to development of a new therapy with improved drug efficacy and reduced toxicity. Therefore, Cynodon dactylon (Doob) is a natural source of antioxidants and metformin which is an antidiabetic and has anticancerous properties too. The combinatorial regimen of Cynodon dactylon and metformin along with cisplatin may increase the drug efficacy and reduce cisplatin-related toxicity. However, widespread research is required in this field for the mainstream application of this combinatorial therapy.