Therapeutic effects of medicinal plants and their constituents on lung cancer, in vitro, in vivo and clinical evidence

Abstract

The most common type of cancer in the world is lung cancer. Traditional treatments have an important role in cancer therapy. In the present review, the most recent findings on the effects of medicinal plants and their constituents or natural products (NP) in treating lung cancer are discussed. Empirical studies until the end of March 2022 were searched using the appropriate keywords through the databases PubMed, Science Direct and Scopus. The extracts and essential oils tested were all shown to effect lung cancer by several mechanisms including decreased tumour weight and volume, cell viability and modulation of cytokine. Some plant constituents increased expression of apoptotic proteins, the proportion of cells in the G2/M phase and subG0/G1 phase, and Cyt c levels. Also, natural products (NP) activate apoptotic pathways in lung cancer cell including p‐JNK, Akt/mTOR, PI3/ AKT\ and Bax, Bcl2, but suppressed AXL phosphorylation. Plant‐derived substances altered the cell morphology, reduced cell migration and metastasis, oxidative marker production, p‐eIF2α and GRP78, IgG, IgM levels and reduced leukocyte counts, LDH, GGT, 5′NT and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). Therefore, medicinal plant extracts and their constituents could have promising therapeutic value for lung cancer, especially if used in combination with ordinary anti‐cancer drugs.

Nigella Sativa use for the Treatment of Cancer

“…More research is needed to understand they can help people and make sure they are safe and work well in medical treatment. N sativa does not have a big impact on cell death or programmed cell death in lung and laryngeal cancer cells [10].…”

Exploring Synergistic Interactions between Natural Compounds and Conventional Chemotherapeutic Drugs in Preclinical Models of Lung Cancer

“…Furthermore, some of the natural compounds have been shown to inhibit angiogenesis, which is crucial for tumor growth and metastasis [82]. These mechanisms collectively suggest that medicinal plants and phytocompounds have the potential to be effective in the treatment and prevention of lung cancer as alternative or complementary therapy strategies [83,84].…”

Anticancer Activity of Natural Products and Related Compounds

“…Natural products effectively inhibit cell proliferation, regulate the cell cycle, and interfere with several tumorigenic signaling pathways [10,11]. The anticancer properties of polyphenols, found abundantly in plants, as flavonoids [12], terpenoids [13], and alkaloids [14], have been extensively reported [15].…”