Advances in Natural Anticancer Formulation

A special issue of Pharmaceutics (ISSN 1999-4923). This special issue belongs to the section "Physical Pharmacy and Formulation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 1181

Editors


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Guest Editor
Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, “Acad. Georgi Bonchev” Str., Bl. 21, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
Interests: antitumor properties of medicinal and aromatic plants; molecular mechanisms of antitumor effect; in vitro and in silico analyses; genetic and epigenetic mechanisms in carcinogenesis

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Guest Editor
Chemistry Unit, Department of Pharmacology, Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Chemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Trakia University, 6000 Stara Zagora, Bulgaria
Interests: bioorganic chemistry and chemistry of natural and physiologically active substances; biochemistry; intracellular redox metabolism; redox-active natural substances; cancer cells metabolism; apoptosis; synergism; medicinal chemistry
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Despite numerous improvements in cancer treatment, the disease is still a major cause of high mortality worldwide. Due to the adverse side effects and prohibitive cost of standard therapy, the search for effective, targeted, sparing and affordable cancer therapy is imperative. Natural resources have been and continue to be an exceptional source of new bioactive compounds with undeniable therapeutic benefits. Regardless of their outstanding scientific potential, their clinical application still poses a significant challenge. This Special Issue will review advances in various formulations of natural anticancer drugs, including in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo assessments of their solubility, permeability, distribution, efficacy, and mechanisms of action, as well as the development of improved therapeutic doses, dose–response studies and early preclinical data.

We welcome all researchers for your scientific contributions.

Dr. Georgi G. Antov
Dr. Donika Ivanova
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • cancer treatment
  • phytocompounds
  • drug formulations
  • natural-based therapies
  • in vitro and ex vivo toxicity evaluation
  • in vivo drug sensitivity
  • in silico models
  • pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics
  • innovations

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 6555 KB  
Article
Lavandula stoechas Ethanol Extracts Induce Apoptosis in Breast, Bladder, and Glioblastoma Cancer Cells
by Ihsan Nalkiran and Hatice Sevim Nalkiran
Pharmaceutics 2026, 18(4), 500; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics18040500 - 18 Apr 2026
Viewed by 618
Abstract
Background: Lavandula stoechas has attracted increasing attention for its potential anticancer properties; however, evidence regarding its effects on apoptotic signaling across different tumor types remains limited. Methods: In this study, the effects of dry and fresh ethanol extracts of Lavandula stoechas L. [...] Read more.
Background: Lavandula stoechas has attracted increasing attention for its potential anticancer properties; however, evidence regarding its effects on apoptotic signaling across different tumor types remains limited. Methods: In this study, the effects of dry and fresh ethanol extracts of Lavandula stoechas L. subsp. stoechas (LsDE and LsFE) were investigated in MDA-MB-231 triple-negative breast cancer, RT4 bladder carcinoma, and T98G glioblastoma cell lines, providing a comparative evaluation of their apoptotic effects. Long-term proliferative capacity was assessed using clonogenic survival assays, while apoptosis-related responses were evaluated by Annexin V–FITC/propidium iodide staining, quantitative RT-PCR of BAX and BCL2 and Western blot analysis of Bax, Bcl-2, and cleaved PARP1. Results: Both extracts significantly reduced clonogenic survival in all tested cancer cell lines, with LsDE showing stronger inhibitory effects in RT4 and T98G cells. Annexin V/PI analysis revealed cell type-dependent response patterns. In MDA-MB-231 cells, both extracts increased the proportion of PI-positive cells, suggesting a loss of membrane integrity, whereas RT4 cells exhibited increased early apoptotic and membrane-compromised populations. In contrast, T98G cells showed comparatively limited changes associated with apoptosis. Transcriptional analysis demonstrated extract- and cell line-specific modulation of the BAX/BCL2 ratio. Western blot analysis further demonstrated activation of mitochondrial apoptotic signaling through coordinated regulation of Bax and Bcl-2 and increased PARP1 cleavage. LsFE showed the strongest apoptosis-associated changes in MDA-MB-231 cells, whereas LsDE showed stronger effects in T98G cells, while both extracts were effective in modulating these proteins in RT4 cells. Conclusions: These findings indicate that ethanol extracts of L. stoechas impair long-term proliferative capacity and induce tumor type-dependent modulation of apoptosis-related markers. This study provides an integrated experimental framework that combines clonogenic survival assays, apoptosis analyses, gene expression, and protein-level measurements, supporting further investigation of L. stoechas extracts in cancer research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Natural Anticancer Formulation)
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