The Potency of Herbal Active Compounds as Immune Modulators for Cancer Therapy

Cancer was the second leading cause of death globally in 2018. On the other hand, immunotherapy is one of the most promising and effective therapies to fight against cancer. This area of research has highly increased over the last decade. Immunotherapy will modulate and initiate an effective immune response. Hence, the immune system in the body will be more potent in combating cancer. Cancer immunotherapy can utilize herbal products to modulate the immune system with low toxicity. In addition, the usage of herbal products has also proven to decrease the side effects of conventional cancer therapy. Some herbal products have been proven to have biological and pharmacological activity, such as anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and chemopreventive. Indonesia, with its immense biodiversity of herbal products, can use this advantage to develop these sources in the health sector. We showcase some active compounds such as quercetin, andrographolide, curcumin, resveratrol, capsaicin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, genistein, 6-shogaol, and 6-gingerol. We further highlight the mechanism and signaling pathways that can occur in these active compounds to suppress cancer progression and development. This review discusses the mechanism and potency of herbal products as a modulator in cancer immunotherapy to combat cancer. In summary, this review summarizes herbal products’ active compounds and future promise within the field of immunotherapy.