Title:Effects of Plants and Isolates of Celastraceae Family on Cancer Pathways
VOLUME: 15 ISSUE: 6
Author(s):Syed Nasir Abbas Bukhari, Ibrahim Jantan and Mohamed Ali Seyed
Affiliation:Drug and Herbal Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, 50300 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Keywords:Anticancer activity, celastraceae, cytotoxic, triptolide, Tripterygium species.
Abstract:The evaluation of crude drugs of natural origin as sources of new effective anticancer agents continues to
be important due to the lack of effective anticancer drugs currently used in practice which are generally
accompanied with adverse effects at different levels of severity. The aim of this concise review is to gather existing
literature on anticancer potential of extracts and compounds isolated from Celastraceae species. This review covers
six genera (Maytenus, Tripterygium, Hippocratea, Gymnosporia, Celastrus and Austroplenckia) belonging to this
family and their 33 isolates. Studies carried out by using different cell lines have shown remarkable indication of
anticancer activity, however, only a restricted number of studies have been reported using in vivo tumor models.
Some of the compounds, such as triptolide, celastrol and demethylzeylasteral from T. wilfordii, have been
extensively studied on their mechanisms of action due to their potent activity on various cancer cell lines. Such
promising lead compounds should generate considerable interest among scientists to improve their therapeutic potential with fewer side
effects by molecular modification.
