SAUSSUREA COSTUS A PLANT USEFUL IN AVERTING BREAST CANCER PROGRESSION: AN OVERVIEW

Chandra Shekhar Sharma*, Mansi Sharma, Divya Kumari, Rudramani Tiwari, Om Prakash, Vivek Kumar, Ajay Kumar Meena

ABSTRACT

In the post COVID era, among the many incidences reported two are significant; increase in case report for breast cancer and significance of Ayurveda and natural medicine in modern era. In case of cancer, the currently available treatments chemotherapy and radiotherapy associate with huge collateral damages. So, one can look for phytochemical-based pharmaceutics as an alternative. Saussurea costus root extract has two important phytochemicals; Costunolide (CE) and Dehydrocostus lactone (DE), that have been reported for their anticancerous potential in isolation as well as in combination. Breast cancer; the most prevalent malignancy among women worldwide, characterized by complex nature and molecular heterogeneity across subtypes like luminal, HER2-enriched, and triple-negative. Cell lines (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-468, MDA-MB-453, etc.) serve as foundational in vitro models for elucidating disease mechanisms, drug responses, and therapeutic strategies. In present review we have tried to compile all the previously reported work of past two decades associated with anticancerous potential of S. costus especially in light of CE and DE, that may help in developing NCEs (New Chemical Entities) in future for breast cancer treatment.

Keywords: Saussurea costus, Costunolides, Dehydrocostus lactone, Breast cancer, Apoptosis.