A REVIEW ON: THE ROLE OF NATURAL PRODUCTS IN ANTICANCER DRUG DEVELOPMENT

Akanksha Balaso Kumbhar, *Vijaykumar S. Wakale

ABSTRACT

Natural products have historically been a rich source for cancer treatments, as cancer is expected to be one of the leading causes of death in this century. Nonetheless, there remains an ongoing necessity for the advancement of new anticancer medications, drug combinations, and chemotherapy approaches through systematic and scientific investigation of the vast array of synthetic, biological, and natural products. A variety of compounds have been created from natural products through structural modifications or by utilizing naturally occurring substances as foundational elements in the synthesis of these compounds for a range of applications across various domains, including biology, medicine, and engineering. Numerous contemporary and expensive therapies have been implemented to fight cancer and reduce its fatality, yet the outcomes are not significantly groundbreaking. Natural compounds, which are a vital source of novel therapeutic medicines, are now being explored as potential cytotoxic agents. They have demonstrated favorable trends in preclinical studies and have inspired a variety of innovative strategies to defeat cancer and accelerate clinical research. The significance of natural products for drug discovery is increasing due to their extensive molecular diversity and unique biofunctional characteristics. Additionally, natural compounds can offer enhanced effectiveness and safety owing to their distinct molecular attributes. Naturally occurring compounds from plants have served as a significant source of various anti-cancer medications used in clinical settings. Among these are vinblastine and vincristine, as well as the camptothecin derivatives, which include topotecan and irinotecan. Additionally, etoposide, which is derived from epipodophyllotoxin, and paclitaxel (taxol®) are also noteworthy.

Keywords: Anticancer, Plant-Based Anti-Cancer Agent, Natural product.