Vol. 7, Issue 2 (2018)

Author(s):
Arindam Gangopadhyay

Abstract:
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death of mankind. WHO predicted that this cancer, if no immediate action is taken, would be the most threatening to human by 2030. By the classical treatment therapy, the people with cancer are suffering from so many toxic side effects. So the scientists are in search of new and safer drugs. Natural products, being less toxic and safe, are of much interest of the medicinal chemists to find new therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. Natural products are playing an important role in drug discovery process, particularly in the area of cancer. Plant based drug discovery has resulted the development of many anticancer drug currently in use. So, natural products give a platform for the search of new drugs for the treatment of cancer. Attempts have been made to develop new naturally occurring plant based lead molecules for anticancer drug formation. A good number of drugs originated directly from natural products or derived from natural products are approved as anticancer drugs and commercially available for cancer treatment. Anticancer drugs derived directly from natural products or a semi-synthetic analog of natural products approved from 2000 to 2017 are discussed in this review. Their source, chemical structure and their mechanism of action are discussed in this resume. The review cites 141 references.