Evaluation of Antioxidants and Anti-Cancer properties of selected Medicinal Plants

Abstract

is a disease which severely effects the human population. Cancer  is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body .There is a constant demand for new therapies to treat and prevent this life-threatening disease. Scientific and research interest is drawing its attention towards naturally-derived compounds as they are considered to have less toxic side effects compared to current treatments such as chemotherapy. The medical plants such as cinnamon , green tea and turmeric produce naturally effect occurring secondary metabolites which are being investigated for their anticancer and antioxidant  activities leading to the development of new clinical drugs. With the success of these compounds that have been developed into staple drugs for cancer treatment new technologies are emerging to develop the area further . The aim to enhance anticancer and antioxidant   activities of plant-derived drugs by controlling the release of the compound and investigating new methods for administration . Although many biological activities including antioxidant and anticancer properties  have been reported . the antioxidant and anticancer effects were  evaluated by using The MTT activity  , DPPH radical scavenging activity, ABTS radical scavenging activity and Hydroxyl radical scavenging assay . This review discusses the demand for  naturally-derived compounds from medicinal plants and their properties which make them targets for potential anticancer and antioxidant treatments