Natural Cancer Chemopreventive Reagents from Food and Herbals

Abstract

Although great progress continues to be made against cancer, it remains the second leading cause of death in the world. As pointed out in the World Cancer Report 2014, elucidating the causes and devising effective prevention strategies are essential components of cancer control. Hence, in this review, we focus on effective and safe cancer chemopreventive reagents, which could reverse the processes of initiation and subsequent progression of cancer. Natural products from traditional herbals and food, consumed with years of history, have attracted much attention because of their safety, efficacy, and potency for cancer chemoprevention. Based on 119 references, we collected 179 chemopreventive phytochemicals, including flavonoids, terpenoids, alkaloids, phenylpropanoids, and stilbenes. In our recent research, we have also reported a series of novel chemopreventive reagents from Traditional Chinese Medicines and functional food. This review has summarized the latest research on the bioactive natural products reported as chemopreventive reagents in vitro or in vivo. The research results could throw light on further study for accurate prevention strategies against cancer. Furthermore, the functional factors from the food suggested more healthful dietary pattern for the special group.