Cytotoxic Activity of Plant Extracts-2nd Edition

Dear Colleagues,

The plant world is an inexhaustible source of pharmacological agents, and many plant secondary metabolites have a role at the forefront of the discovery of new drugs. However, although the Earth has between 250,000 and 500,000 plant species, just 1–10% have been examined biologically and chemically for their potential pharmaceutical value. The exponential growth in the use of traditional and complementary alternative medicine in Western countries in the last two decades has given new impetus to the search for natural compounds or plants extracts with pharmacological activity. In cancer therapy, it has been estimated that approximately 60% of antitumor-active compounds are derived from medicinal plants and other natural sources. Moreover, the combination of phytochemicals or herbal extracts with commercial drugs may be very helpful in the treatment of cancer, and appears to be a very promising therapeutic strategy. Indeed, acting in synergy with traditional chemotherapies, relatively nontoxic natural products can bring about a positive or enhanced effect, and reduce the systemic toxicity caused by chemotherapies because of the lower doses required.  

Due to the success of the first edition, we have launched a second edition. The aim of this Special Issue is to bring together experimental scientific evidence to support the use of medicinal plants exhibiting anticancer pharmacological potential and to characterize the responsible constituents of the cytotoxic activity.

The information disseminated through this volume is hoped to serve as an interdisciplinary link between phytomedicine, cellular biochemistry, chemistry, and the extraction and analysis technologies of bioactive natural compounds.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• In vitro and in vivo studies of the cytotoxic and chemopreventive activity of plant extracts;
• Studies of the intracellular pathways involved in the cytotoxic mechanisms of plant extracts;
• Synergistic activity of natural chemopreventive compounds in combination with clinical chemotherapy;
• Isolation and characterization of new biologically active phytochemicals from medicinal plant extracts;
• Technological innovations of the extraction and purification of phytochemicals with potential pharmacological activity.

Dr. Alessandro Attanzio
Prof. Dr. Luisa Tesoriere
Guest Editors

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