No abstract

Despite recent advances in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer (BC), it remains a global health issue affecting millions of women annually. Poor prognosis in BC patients is often linked to drug resistance as well as the lack of effective therapeutic options for metastatic and triple-negative BC. In response to these unmet needs, extensive research efforts have been devoted to exploring the anti-BC potentials of natural products owing to their multi-target mechanisms of action and good safety profiles. Various medicinal plant extracts/essential oils and natural bioactive compounds have demonstrated anti-cancer activities in preclinical BC models. Despite the promising preclinical results, however, the clinical translation of natural products has often been hindered by their poor stability, aqueous solubility and bioavailability. There have been attempts to overcome these limitations, particularly via the use of nano-based drug delivery systems (NDDSs). This review highlights the tumour targeting mechanisms of NDDSs, the advantages and disadvantages of the major classes of NDDSs and their current clinical status in BC treatment. Besides, it also discusses the proposed anti-BC mechanisms and nanoformulations of nine medicinal plants’ extracts/essential oils and nine natural bioactive compounds; selected via the screening of various scientific databases, including PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar, based on the following keywords: “Natural Product AND Nanoparticle AND Breast Cancer”. Overall, these nanoformulations exhibit improved anti-cancer efficacy against preclinical BC models, with some demonstrating biocompatibility with normal cell lines and mouse models. Further clinical studies are, however, warranted to ascertain their efficacy and biocompatibility in humans.

To complete this review, relevant literatures were searched from several scientific databases including Google, Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science and Pubmed. The categories of keywords used for searching are "Natural Products" or "Phytoconstituents" or "Isolated Compounds" or "Natural Compounds" or "Curcumin" or "Mangiferin" or "Naringenin" or "Quercetin" or "6-Gingerol" or "Lycopene" or "Resveratrol" or "Apigenin" or "Proanthocyanidins" or "Indole-3carbinol" and "Cardioprotection" or "Anticancer" or "Chemotherapy" or "Cardiotoxicity" or "Cardiotonic". After screening of literatures from 2005 to 2019, a total of ten natural products investigated the protective effect against chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity and that were included in the present review.

No abstract

Malaysia is rich in natural and herbal resources which have the potential to be used as traditional medicine as well as cosmetics. These plant sources are used by the folklore to help in enriching their beauty. Leaves, fruits, flowers and roots of medicinal plants in Malaysia are used in cosmetic formulations to get different biological effects. Health issues with particular reference to skin issues, such as acne, dry skin, dull skin and alopecia can be alleviated by using these plants. Since time immemorial, herbal products have been used in maintaining and enhancing physical appearance of humans. Herbal cosmetics have growing demand in the world market and is an invaluable gift of nature. This review is about ten commonly available medicinal plants in Malaysia used in the cosmetic formulations which includes Aloe vera, Curcuma longa, Cocos nucifera, Cucumis sativus, Melaleuca alternifolia, Punica granatum, Garcinia mangostana, Carica papaya, Lawsonia inermis and Hibiscus rosasinensis. These are the ten plants that are commonly used traditionally in treating many skin conditions and hair problems. Different parts of the plant may produce different beneficial effects to the consumers. Using the herbal and natural ingredients in cosmetics alleviates the side effects almost to nil. This is predominantly lower than the side effects caused by synthetic cosmetics.