International Journal of Medical Science and Pharmaceutical Research

Cancer continues to represent a major global health challenge, with conventional treatment modalities often constrained by systemic toxicity, drug resistance, and high economic burden. In recent years, medicinal plants and their bioactive phytochemicals have gained considerable attention as promising anticancer agents due to their multitargeted mechanisms of action and comparatively favorable safety profiles. This review summarizes recent advances in the anticancer potential of some medicinal plants against specific cancer types, compositions of different plants’ bioactive compounds as well as molecular mechanisms of the plants. Different mechanisms including induction of apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, inhibition of angiogenesis and metastasis, modulation of immune responses, and regulation of critical oncogenic signaling pathways such as PI3K/Akt, NF-κB, STAT3, and Wnt/β-catenin have been discussed. Despite promising preclinical and early clinical findings, challenges related to poor bioavailability, lack of standardization and limited large-scale clinical validation remain significant barriers to clinical translation. Advances in drug delivery systems, particularly nanotechnology-based approaches, along with standardized formulations and rational combination strategies, offer promising solutions. This review highlights the therapeutic potential of medicinal plant-derived compounds as complementary or adjunctive agents in cancer management and underscores the need for rigorous clinical studies to facilitate their integration into evidence-based oncology.

Anticancer, Medicinal plants, Phytochemicals, Apoptosis, Molecular mechanisms, Treatment modalities, and Cancer types.

1. Al-Snafi, (2024). The pharmacological and anticancer properties of Thymus vulgaris: A comprehensive review. Journal of Medicinal Plants Research, 18(2), 45–52.
2. Alam et al., (2023a). Cell cycle modulation by resveratrol and related stilbenes in cancer. Journal of Molecular Oncology, 18(2), 102–116.
3. Alam et al., 2023b. Thymoquinone potentiates TRAIL-induced apoptosis in resistant cancer cells. Journal of Experimental Oncology, 17(4), 289–302.
4. Ahmed, S. A., Mendonca, P., Elhag, R., & Soliman, K. F. A. (2022). Anticancer effects of fucoxanthin through cell cycle arrest, apoptosis induction, angiogenesis inhibition, and autophagy modulation. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(24), 16091.
5. Akter, K., Gul, K., & Mumtaz, S. (2025). Revisiting curcumin in cancer therapy: Recent insights into molecular mechanisms, nanoformulations, and synergistic combinations. Current Issues in Molecular Biology, 47(9), 716.
6. Aljabali, A. A. A., Obeid, M. A., Bashatwah, R. M., Qnais, E., Gammoh, O., Alqudah, A., … Hatahet, T. (2025). Phytochemicals in cancer therapy: A structured review of mechanisms, challenges, and progress in personalized treatment. Chemistry & Biodiversity, 22(8), e202402479.
7. Anderson Luiz-Ferreira, T., Pacifico, T., Cardoso Cruz, Á., Laudisi, F., Monteleone, G., & Stolfi, C. (2023). TRAIL-sensitizing effects of flavonoids in cancer. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24(23), 16596.
8. Chen, J., et al. (2021a). Molecular modulation of apoptosis by phytochemicals. Oncogene Research, 12(3), 145–159.
9. Chen, J., et al. (2021b). Molecular pathways modulated by EGCG in cancer cells. Journal of Cancer Biology, 15(4), 221–238.
10. Fang, X., Ma, E., Wang, R., Zhang, J., Tang, Y., Chen, J., … Ren, D.-N. (2025). Resveratrol prevents breast cancer metastasis by inhibiting Wnt/β-catenin pathway-mediated epithelial–mesenchymal transition. Pharmaceuticals, 19(1), 41.
11. Gao, L., et al. (2024). Phytochemical inhibition of EMT and metastatic behavior in solid tumors. Journal of Experimental Oncology, 19(2), 89–105.
12. Gupta, N., et al. (2024a). Death receptor pathways in phytochemical-induced apoptosis. Cancer Signaling, 5(1), 22–35.
13. Gupta, N., et al. (2024b). Phytochemical enhancement of chemosensitivity via cell cycle arrest. Cancer Treatment Synergies, 9(1), 31–47.
14. Garza-Cadena, C., Ortega-Rivera, D. M., Machorro-García, G., Homma-Dueñas, D., Plata-Gryl, M., & Castro-Muñoz, R. (2023). A comprehensive review on Zingiber officinale as a potential source of nutraceuticals for food formulations. Food Chemistry, 413, 135629.
15. Hassan, R., et al. (2023a). Integrative effects of natural compounds with radiotherapy. Frontiers in Oncology, 13, 891203.
16. Hassan, R., et al. (2023b). ROS-mediated modulation of survival pathways by natural compounds. Free Radical Biology & Medicine, 184, 189–203.
17. Hernández, J., et al. (2022). α-Mangostin suppresses angiogenesis and tumor growth via VEGF inhibition. Cancer Letters, 523, 123–135.
18. Hewlings, S. J., & Kalman, D. S. (2023). Phytochemicals and cancer therapy: Mechanisms and clinical potentials. Nutrition and Cancer, 75(2), 97–112.
19. Huang, M., Liu, C., Shao, Y., Zhou, S., Hu, G., Yin, S., … Yu, H. (2022). Anti‑tumor pharmacology of natural products targeting mitosis. Cancer Biology & Medicine, 19(6), 774–801.
20. Kumar, V., Abbas, A. K., & Aster, J. C. (2024). Robbins & Cotran pathologic basis of disease (11th ed.). Elsevier. ISBN: 978-0-323-76728-2.
21. Knowles, T., et al. (2025). Phytochemistry and anticancer therapeutics of Camellia sinensis (green tea). Scientific Phytochemistry Journal, 12(1), 45–64.
22. Kunnumakkara, A. B., et al. (2020). Curcumin, the golden nutraceutical: Multitargeted anti-cancer mechanisms. Cancer Letters, 490, 128–140.
23. Lai, Y.-T., Liu, T.-T., & Wang, X.-Y. (2024). Molecular mechanisms of curcumin in breast cancer: Modulation of signaling pathways and chemosensitization. Cancers, 16(8), 1554.
24. Lee, K., et al. (2024a). EGCG upregulates CDK inhibitors in colon carcinoma models. Molecular Nutrition & Cancer, 66(1), 58–73.
25. Lee, K., et al. (2024b). Green tea polyphenols and cancer prevention strategies. International Journal of Nutraceuticals, 11(2), 101–119.
26. Liu, Y., et al. (2023). Curcumin and EGCG regulate apoptotic proteins in breast cancer cells. Molecular Carcinogenesis, 62(1), 45–58.
27. Marei, H. E. (2025). Global cultivation and viticulture of Vitis vinifera: Distribution, adaptation, and production. In Viticulture: Advances in Grapevine Biology and Management (pp. 1–21).
28. McAlpine, P. L. (2024). Organosulfur compounds in colorectal cancer prevention and progression. Nutrients, 16(6), 802.
29. Najafiyan, B., et al. (2024). Unveiling the potential effects of resveratrol in lung cancer: Molecular mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities. Tumor Biology, 45(4), 607–621.
30. Newman, D. J., & Cragg, G. M. (2020). Natural products as sources of new drugs over the nearly four decades from 1981 to 2019. Journal of Natural Products, 83(3), 770–803.
31. Obolskiy, D., et al. (2022). Mechanisms of botanical anti-angiogenesis: Focus on xanthones and polyphenols. Phytochemistry Reviews, 21(5), 857–876.
32. Patel, R., & Wu, Y. (2025). HIF-1α modulation by natural products under hypoxic stress. Cancer Metabolism Research, 8(1), 55–72.
33. Prasad, S., et al. (2018). Oxidative stress and signaling modulation by dietary phytochemicals. Antioxidants, 7(12), 184.
34. Radeva-Ilieva, M. (2025). Green tea: Current knowledge and issues. Foods, 14(5), 745.
35. Saito, T., et al. (2024). Suppression of MMP activity by phytochemicals in metastatic cancers. Journal of Molecular Oncology, 20(1), 33–47.
36. Shanafelt, T. D., Call, T. G., Zent, C. S., LaPlant, B., Bowen, D. A., Roos, M., … Kay, N. E. (2013). Phase II trial of daily, oral Polyphenon E in patients with asymptomatic, Rai stage 0 to II chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Cancer, 119(2), 363–370.
37. Sharma, P., et al. (2024). Comprehensive review of green tea anticancer mechanisms in lung and other cancers. Clinical Phytoscience, 10(1), 12–30.
38. Shukla, Y., & Singh, R. (2018). Resveratrol and cell cycle arrest in cancer cells. Nutritional Oncology Insights, 11(3), 145–157.
39. Singh, D., & Shukla, G. (2025). The multifaceted anticancer potential of luteolin: Involvement of NF‑κB, AMPK/mTOR, PI3K/Akt, MAPK, and Wnt/β‑catenin pathways. Inflammopharmacology, 33(2), 505–525.
40. Singh, P., et al. (2021). Resveratrol suppresses MMP-2 and MMP-9 to inhibit tumor metastasis. Cellular Oncology, 44(4), 601–615.
41. Singh, R., & Kaur, J. (2022). Bax/Bcl-2 modulation by natural anticancer agents. Cell Death & Disease Mechanisms, 8(7), 112–125.
42. Singh, R., et al. (2020). EGCG induces G2/M arrest in human malignancies. Cancer Prevention Research, 13(7), 597–609.
43. Tanaka, H., et al. (2024). Disruption of mitotic spindle dynamics by phytochemicals. Cellular Oncology, 47(3), 327–339.
44. Torres, M., et al. (2024). Anti-angiogenic effects of curcumin in breast cancer xenografts. Angiogenesis Today, 13(1), 11–28.
45. Wang, X., et al. (2024). Phytochemical regulation of apoptotic pathways in colorectal cancer. Journal of Cancer Biology and Therapy, 29(3), 211–225.
46. Winkler, J., Abisoye-Ogunniyan, A., Metcalf, K. J., & Werb, Z. (2020). Concepts of extracellular matrix remodelling in tumour progression and metastasis. Nature Communications, 11, 5120.
47. Wu, S.-X., Xiong, R.-G., Huang, S.-Y., Zhou, D.-D., Saimaiti, A., Zhao, C.-N., Gan, R.-Y., & Li, H.-B. (2023). Effects and mechanisms of resveratrol for prevention and management of cancers: An updated review. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 63(33), 12422–12440.
48. Zhang, J., et al. (2019). Targeting HIF-1α with phytochemicals in tumor hypoxia. Cancer Research Communications, 78(14), 3704–3715.
49. Zhao, L., & Chen, W. (2025). ROS induction and anticancer efficacy of EGCG analogues. Phytomedicine Advances, 41, 154–168.
50. Zhao, X., & Liu, Y. (2024). Resveratrol downregulates cyclin/CDK complexes in breast cancer. Oncology Letters, 28(1), 101–112.