ANTIPROLIFERATIVE EFFECTS OF SOME MEDICINAL PLANTS ON COLORECTAL CANCER: A MINI REVIEW

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the highly prevalent and deadly cancers worldwide. Surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are the conventional treatment modalities for CRC; however, they cause adverse side effects and can be associated with cancer resistance and relapse. Currently, traditional herbal medicine is becoming increasingly studied and used in combination with conventional treatments in CRC. Various medicinal plants have shown promising anticancer effects against CRC concomitant with negligible side effects. For example, Annona muricata (soursop), Chenopodium quinoa (quinoa), Matricaria chamomilla (chamomile), and Moringa oleifera (moringa) have shown remarkable antiproliferative effects against CRC both in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, it is warranted to document the recuperative role of these potential medicinal plants in CRC. It is also important to provide scientific explanations for these effects by establishing their effects on key signaling pathways implicated in colorectal carcinogenesis. In this review, a summary of key signaling pathways that are altered in CRC is presented. The antiproliferative effects of selected medicinal plants against CRC as well as their underlying mechanisms of action are also discussed.