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Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry

Editor-in-Chief

ISSN (Print): 1389-5575
ISSN (Online): 1875-5607

Review Article

Lignans from Medicinal Plants and their Anticancer Effect

Author(s): Eugenia Dumitra Teodor*, Veronica Moroeanu and Gabriel Lucian Radu

Volume 20, Issue 12, 2020

Page: [1083 - 1090] Pages: 8

DOI: 10.2174/1389557520666200212110513

Price: $65

Abstract

Since early times, various plants have been used as remedies for treating different kinds of diseases and lesions with satisfying results. The phenolic compounds are secondary metabolites from medicinal plants which include a wide category of compounds such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, tannins, stilbenes, curcuminoids, xanthones, coumarins, lignans, etc. Between these, lignans are considered important in cancer prevention and treatment, besides other beneficial health effects, e.g. antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, antimutagenic, and anti-estrogenic effects. This review summarizes the most recent literature and the most important results concerning plant lignans and their derivatives in cancer prevention and treatment, both in vitro and in vivo assessments. The mechanistic aspects will be also highlighted.

Keywords: Medicinal plants, lignans, cytotoxicity, anticancer effect, bioavailability, mechanism of action.

Graphical Abstract

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