Cancer is a disorder that rigorously affects the human population worldwide. There is a steady demand for new remedies to both treat and prevent this life-threatening sickness due to toxicities, drug resistance and therapeutic failures in current conventional therapies. Researchers around the world are drawing their attention towards compounds of natural origin. For decades, human beings have been using the flora of the world as a source of cancer chemotherapeutic agents. Currently, clinically approved anticancer compounds are vincristine, vinblastine, taxanes, and podophyllotoxin, all of which come from natural sources. With the triumph of these compounds that have been developed into staple drug products for most cancer therapies, new technologies are now appearing to search for novel biomolecules with anticancer activities. Ellipticine, camptothecin, combretastatin, curcumin, homoharringtonine and others are plant derived bioactive phytocompounds with potential anticancer properties. Researchers have improved the field further through the use of advanced analytical chemistry and computational tools of analysis. The investigation of new strategies for administration such as nanotechnology may enable the development of the phytocompounds as drug products. These technologies have enhanced the anticancer potential of plant-derived drugs with the aim of site-directed drug delivery, enhanced bioavailability, and reduced toxicity. This review discusses mechanistic insights into anticancer compounds of natural origins and their structural activity relationships that make them targets for anticancer treatments.

Background: Alpinia galanga and Eryngium foetidum are two commonly used traditional aromatic plants of Manipur which is traditionally used in Aroma therapy. Rationale of pharmacological potentials of these plants are still unclear, even if few preliminary studies are available in literature for individual plants. Objective: This study was conducted for comparative assessment of antioxidant, antibacterial, and antidiabetic potential of A. galanga and E. foetidum. Materials and Methods: The rhizome of A. galanga and leaf of E. foetidum were extracted in methanol, ethanol and water. Phytochemicals of each extracts of Alpinia galanga and Eryngium foetidum were analyzed. The antioxidant potential of all the extracts was assessed by measuring total phenolic content, total flavonoid content and free radical scavenging potential was assessed by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrilhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, antibacterial activity was assessed against various pathogenic and nonpathogenic bacteria in vitro by Kirby-Bauer agar well diffusion method and antidiabetic activity was assessed by α-amylase inhibition. Results: Both the plant showed presence of all the tested phytochemicals. It was observed that methanolic extracts of both the plants have higher phenolic content than ethanolic and aqueous extracts, however ethanolic extracts

Background:Swertia cordata and Swertia chirayita are temperate Himalayan medicinal plants used as potent herbal drugs in Indian traditional systems of medicine (Ayurvedic, Unani and Siddha).Objective:Assessment of Antioxidant, antibacterial, and antidiabetic potential of Swertia cordata and Swertia chirayita.Materials and Methods:Phytochemicals of methanolic and aqueous extracts of the two Swertia species were analyzed. The antioxidant potential of all the extracts was assessed by measuring total phenolic content, total flavonoid content and free radical scavenging potential was assessed by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrilhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, antibacterial activity was assessed against various pathogenic and nonpathogenic bacteria in vitro by Kirby-Bauer agar well diffusion method and antidiabetic activity was assessed by α-amylase inhibition.Results:Methanolic leaf extracts of both the species of Swertia contain significant antibacterial as well as anti-diabetic potential, whereas methanolic root extracts of both species were found to have potential antioxidant activity. However, Swertia chirayita showed better activities than Swertia cordata although both species have good reputation in traditional Indian medicine.Conclusion:Both the species are having high medicinal potential in terms of their antioxidant, antibacterial and antidiabetic activities. Studies are required to further elucidate antioxidant, anti-diabetic and antibacterial potentials using various in-vitro, in-vivo biochemical and molecular biology techniques.

phenol and total flavonoid content determination assays. The antimicrobial assay was performed by disc diffusion method using kanamycin and Nystatin as the standard. Results: The most prominent antioxidant activity was observed with PLPE in DPPH radical scavenging test (IC 50 =191.308 ± 28.450 µg/ml) as opposed to that of standard ascorbic acid (IC 50 = 43.129 ± 1.181µg/ml). In total antioxidant capacity method, FHCE showed the highest activity (837.558 ± 110.835 mg ascorbic acid/g). The total phenolic and flavonoids content were determined by Folin-Ciocalteu Reagent and aluminum chloride colorimetric method respectively. The highest total phenols & total flavonoids content were found in VNPE (180.434 ± 142.19 mg Gallic acid/g & 1265.255 ± 165.593 mg quercetin/g, respectively). The ferric reducing capacity of the extracts was strong and dose dependent manner. PLPE displayed the highest antimicrobial actions against Bacillus megaterium (40 mm). Conclusion: Comparison of different plant extracts used in the present study in various tested models showed wide variations in phenolic content and varying degrees of radical scavenging & reducing capacity. The obtained results indicate that investigated plants could be potential sources of natural antioxidants & antimicrobial agents and can be used for infectious diseases.

Sesame seeds may be considered as a functional food.