ANTI CANCER DRUGS

• Allicin


  A sulfur molecule produced from garlic, has been shown to block ornithine decarboxylase, an oncogenic enzyme that stimulates the development of neoplastic cells by elevating polyamine levels
• 1. Z-ajoene


  A naturally occurring chemical produced from garlic, was studied for its antitumor properties
• Curcumin


  The major active chemical constituent of Curcuma longa (turmeric), which has been clinically evaluated as a chemo-preventive agent, especially for colorectal cancer
• Curcuma longa (turmeric)


  • Its rhizome is commonly used in poly-herbal preparations, and is used to treat a wide range of cancers
  • Scientific evidence demonstrates that this plant is able to inhibit variety of cancers such as colon, hepatocellular, breast, renal, prostate cancers, leukaemia, and lymphoma
• Zingiber officinale (ginger)


  Widely used in anti-cancer traditional medicine preparations for gastrointestinal, liver and esophageal cancers
• Philippine medicinal plants with potential anti-cancer properties


  • Allium Sativum bulbs (bawang)
  • Andrographis paniculata leaves (sinta)
  • Cocos nucifera oil (niyog)
  • Euphorbia hirta leaves (tawa-tawa)
  • Euphorbia neriifolia leaves (sorosoro)
  • Moringa oleifera leaves (malunggay)
  • Ocimum basilicum leaves (balanoy)
  • Piper nigrum seeds (paminta)
  • Vitex negundo leaves (lagundi)
  • Zingiber officinale rhizome (luya)
• These plants contain phytochemicals that have been studied for their anti-cancer effects
• Anticancer drug


  Any drug that is effective in the treatment of malignant, or cancerous, disease
• Anticancer drugs


  • Several major classes - alkylating agents, antimetabolites, anthracycline antibiotics
• Drug treatment for cancer (chemotherapy)


  1. Destroy cancer cells, including those that may have spread beyond the main tumor

  2. Attack all rapidly dividing cells, and cancer cells fit that description

  3. Concept of "total cell-kill" - necessary to destroy every clonogenic malignant cell to achieve cure

  4. Cell-kill caused by antineoplastic agents follows first-order kinetics - a constant percentage, rather than a constant number, of cells is killed by a given therapeutic maneuver
• Alkylating agents


  Compounds that work by adding an alkyl group to the guanine base of the DNA molecule, preventing the strands of the double helix from linking as they should
• Alkylating agents


  • Can be classified as either monofunctional or bifunctional
  • Replication of DNA and transcription of RNA are prevented by these cross-links
  • Depress bone marrow function and cause gastrointestinal disturbances
  • Risk of leukemia is "dose-dependent"
• Alkylating agents


  • Cyclophosphamide
  • Ifosfamide
  • Melphalan
  • Chlorambucil
• Antimetabolites


  Drugs that work by mimicking the molecules that a cell needs to grow, tricking cells into taking them in and using them instead of their normal building blocks of genetic material
• Antimetabolites


  • Target cells only as they are dividing, so are most effective against quickly growing tumors
  • Can be hard to predict which tumors will respond, and tumors often become resistant over time
  • Hypomethylating agents may restore normal gene function and affect cytokine cell signaling
• Antimetabolites


  • Methotrexate
  • 5-Fluorourocil
  • Cytosine Arabinoside
  • 5-azacytidine
  • Decitabine
• Anthracycline antibiotics


  Have three mechanisms of action: inhibit DNA and RNA synthesis, inhibit topoisomerase II enzyme, and create iron-mediated free oxygen radicals that damage DNA and cell membranes
• Anthracycline antibiotics


  • Can induce acute and chronic cardiovascular effects, including hypotension, rhythm disturbances, and congestive heart failure
• Naked mole rats have exceptional resistance to cancer thanks to unique conditions in their bodies that stop cancer cells from multiplying
• Hyaluronan


  A complex sugar that helps keep cells from clumping together and forming tumors
• Hyaluronan in naked mole rats


  The enzyme that breaks it down is not very active, allowing it to accumulate to higher concentrations than in other animals, which makes their skin more elastic