Anticancer Activity of Secondary Metabolites Present in Plants of Hot Arid Region of India

Cancer, known to be a death havoc is increasing at an alarming pace globally. There is a need to explore novel chemicals having anticancerous potential for its treatment with minimal side effects. Natural compounds obtained from plants have less toxic properties and can be proved as a better medication against this lethal disease. Thus, the secondary metabolites having anticancer properties found in plants, fruits, and vegetables are being persistently evaluated for research in cancer treatment like anticancer drugs- vinblastine, vincristine and taxol which are derived from plants. This review summarizes the anticancer properties of chemical repertoires of plants inhabiting the hot arid regions present in India against various cancer cell lines like HepG2, MCF7, PC3, HT116, etc. The mechanism of action of flavonoids in the induction of apoptosis through suppression/promotion of various factors including Ras-ERK and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways and genes mainly such as Bax, Bcl-2, p53 involved in the proliferation of cancer cells play emphatically in combating the extent of the disease by promoting apoptosis in cancer cells. The insight about the reported mechanisms will open further avenues of the anticancer potential of novel secondary metabolites.