A review on the herbal plants and their novel drug delivery systems used in the treatment of cancer

Abstract

Herbal medicines are now in great demand in the developing world for primary health care because they are
inexpensive, better acceptability, better compatibility with the human body, and minimal side effects. Over the
past several years, great advances have been made on development of novel drug delivery systems for plant
actives and extracts. The novel formulations are reported to have remarkable advantages over conventional
formulations of plant actives and extracts which include enhancement of solubility, bioavailability,
protection from toxicity, enhancement of pharmacological activity, enhancement of stability, improved tissue
macrophages distribution, sustained delivery, and protection from physical and chemical degradation. Cancer
is a major public health burden in both developed and developing countries. It is an abnormal growth of cells
in body that can lead to death and globally, the numbers of cancer patients are increasing day by day. Herbal
medicines have a key role in the prevention and treatment of cancer. With advanced knowledge of molecular
science and refinement in isolation and structure elucidation techniques, various anticancer herbs have been
identified, which execute their therapeutic effect by inhibiting cancer-activating enzymes and hormones,
stimulating DNA repair mechanism, promoting production of protective enzymes, inducing antioxidant action
and enhancing immunity of the body. More than 50% of modern drugs in clinical use are of natural products.
In the present review, an attempt has been made to study the plants that have been used in the treatment of
cancer.