Pharmacological properties and mechanism insights of Moroccan anticancer medicinal plants: What are the next steps?

Abstract

Moroccan flora is rich in medicinal plants that are widely used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases including cancer. These plants have several bioactive molecules, which belong to secondary metabolites such as polyphenols, flavonoids, and alkaloids. This review presents an overview of all published works, including our publications, on the anticancer efficacy of Moroccan medicinal plants with a focus on their cellular and molecular insights. Moreover, the worldwide place of the phytotherapy in the management of cancer will be discussed. Results revealed that numerous Moroccan medicinal plants belonging to several botanical families, such as Lamiaceae, Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Solanaceae, Verbenaceae, and Berberidaceae, show important anticancer activities. These plants have remarkable cytotoxic effects on different types of tumor-derived cell lines. Indeed, the antitumor mechanisms of these plants is not well-understood. However, the anti-cancer activities of certain molecules isolated from Moroccan medicinal plants such as thymol, carvacrol, limonene, tomentosin, and artemisinin are now better understood. Indeed, these compounds induce the cytotoxicity of tumor cells via activation of the intrinsic and/or extrinsic pathway of apoptosis, telomerase inhibition, and limit cell proliferation by inducing an array of signaling pathways that inhibit cell proliferation. These molecules can be applied as alternative compounds in chemotherapy, as well as in cancer target therapy.