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Planta Med 2013; 79(09): 713-722
DOI: 10.1055/s-0032-1328632
Reviews
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Cancer Preventive and Curative Attributes of Plants of the Cactaceae Family: A Review

Eli Harlev
1   Institute of Evolution and International Graduate Center of Evolution, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa, Israel
,
Eviatar Nevo
1   Institute of Evolution and International Graduate Center of Evolution, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa, Israel
,
Elaine Solowey
2   The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, Kibbutz Ketura, Israel
,
Anupam Bishayee
3   Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, American University of Health Sciences, Signal Hill, CA, USA
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

received 19 March 2013
revised 23 April 2013

accepted 03 May 2013

Publication Date:
23 May 2013 (online)

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Cancer Preventive and Curative Attributes of Plants of the Cactaceae Family: A ReviewPlanta Med 2013; 79(09): E2-E2
DOI: 10.1055/s-0032-1328697

Abstract

The ever-increasing occurrence of cancer and the severe side effects and limited efficacy of current cancer chemotherapy based on chemical drugs shift the attention toward drugs of plant origin. The Cactaceae family comprises more than 1500 species, but until recently only a few of them have been tested for their chemopreventive and anticancer attributes, leaving a wide unexplored area still waiting for researchers to investigate. Considering this fact, and also the promising results obtained with the relatively few plants of this family already tested, it should justly be expected that some plants of the Cactaceae family yet unexplored might possess outstanding anticancer attributes, exceeding those displayed by the plants already tested. This review presents in vitro and in vivo experimental evidence on cancer chemopreventive and therapeutic potential of bioactive phytoconstituents and extracts derived from cactus plants. It also examines the underlying biochemical and molecular mechanisms involved in the antineoplastic effects of plants of the Cactaceae family. Current limitation and future directions of research towards effective use of cacti to develop efficient and side effect-free future cancer-preventive and anticancer drugs are also discussed.

Key words

Cactaceae - cactus - chemoprevention - anticancer effects - antioxidant - apoptosis
 

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