Abstract
The burden of neoplastic diseases is a significant global health challenge accounting for thousands of deaths. In Uganda, about 32,617 cancer cases were reported in 2018, accompanied by 21,829 deaths. In a view to identify some potential anticancer plant candidates for possible drug development, the current study was designed to compile the inventory of plants with reported anticancer activity used in rural Uganda and the evidences supporting their use in cancer therapy. An electronic survey in multidisciplinary databases revealed that 29 plant species belonging to 28 genera distributed among 24 families have been reported to be used in the management of cancer in Uganda. Anticancer plants were majorly from the families Bignoniaceae (7%), Caricaceae (7%), Fabaceae (7%), Moraceae (7%), and Rutaceae (7%). Most species occur in the wild (52%), though some are cultivated (48%). The growth habit of the plants is as trees (55%) or herbs (45%). Anticancer extracts are usually prepared from leaves (29%), bark (24%), roots (21%), and fruits (13%) through decoctions (53%), as food spices (23%) or pounded to produce ointments that are applied topically (10%). Prunus africana (Hook.f.) Kalkman, Opuntia species, Albizia coriaria (Welw. ex Oliver), Daucus carota L., Cyperus alatus (Nees) F. Muell., Markhamia lutea (Benth.) K. Schum., and Oxalis corniculata L. were the most frequently encountered species. As per global reports, Allium sativum L., Annona muricata L., Carica papaya L., Moringa oleifera Lam., Opuntia species, Prunus africana (Hook.f.) Kalkman, and Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don. are the most studied species, with the latter having vincristine and vinblastine anticancer drugs developed from it. Prostate, cervical, breast, and skin cancers are the top traditionally treated malignancies. There is a need to isolate and evaluate the anticancer potential of the bioactive compounds in the unstudied claimed plants, such as Cyperus alatus (Nees) F. Muell., Ficus dawei Hutch., Ficus natalensis Hochst., and Lovoa trichilioides Harms, and elucidate their mechanism of anticancer activity.
Highlights
Cancer ascribes a collection of diseases triggered by the uncontrolled proliferation of malignant cells
A comprehensive literature search was performed in Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) from August 2019 to November 2019 following procedures previously employed elsewhere [26]. e search was performed independently in all databases. e study databases included original articles published in peerreviewed journals, books, thesis, dissertations, patents, and other reports covering anticancer plants, dated until November 2019
After the multidisciplinary database and Google search engine result assessments, sixteen reports of interest on the subject of anticancer plants in Uganda were retrieved (Table 1). e botanical names of the plants listed were vetted in botanical databases: e Plant List [47], International Plant Names Index (IPNI) [48], NCBI taxonomy browser [49], and Tropicos [50]
Summary
Cancer ascribes a collection of diseases triggered by the uncontrolled proliferation of malignant cells. Conservative estimates indicate that cancer (of the liver, breasts, lungs, cervix uteri, stomach, and colorectal) causes about 13% of annual deaths globally [1]. In Uganda, there have been reports on cancer cases, though collected data are not usually coherent [2]. E commonest types of cancer encountered in Uganda include cervical, prostate, breast, lung, and skin cancers, Kaposi sarcoma, Burkitt’s lymphoma, and cancer of the bone, eye, colon, and blood (leukemia) [3]. Between 1952 and 1953, 796 cases of cancer were reported in Uganda, 15 of which were stage IV cases of cancer of the cervix uteri [4]. The fourth most prevalent cancer globally, subsequently registered an alarming relative frequency in Uganda, with 3, 915 new cases and 2, 275 annual deaths reported [7, 8]. Reluctancy to screen, stigma, lack of awareness, chronic poverty, and inadequate medical services are largely responsible for the magnitude of the cancer epidemic in Uganda [9,10,11]. us, most cancer cases registered in hospitals are usually in their advanced stages that cannot be treated optimistically [12, 13]
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