ReviewAnti-cancer agents in medicinal chemistry2026
Cancer Stem Cells and Medicinal Plants, A Comprehensive Review of their Potential in Tumor Suppression and Recurrence Prevention.
Review in Anti-cancer agents in medicinal chemistry, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
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Abstract
introductionCancer Stem Cells (CSCs) drive tumor initiation, progression, and recurrence due to their self-renewal and differentiation capacities. Herbal medicines offer potential for targeting CSCs by disrupting key pathways, inducing apoptosis, and enhancing the efficacy of conventional therapy. This review evaluates the effectiveness of plant-based compounds in suppressing CSCs across various cancers.
methodsA systematic search was conducted across databases (ISI Web of Science, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Biological Abstracts, Chemical Abstracts) up to March 2025, using keywords such as "cancer stem cells and plant extracts." Inclusion criteria were English-language original articles or reviews on plant-based compounds targeting CSCs (in vitro, in vivo, or clinical studies) with full-text availability. Duplicates, non-relevant, non-English, or abstract-only studies were excluded, yielding 43 studies.
resultsHerbal medicines derived from plants such as Pao Pereira, Rauwolfia vomitoria, and Celastrus orbiculatus inhibit CSC proliferation, self-renewal, and chemoresistance across breast, colon, pancreatic, gastric, ovarian, prostate, glioblastoma, hepatic, and lung cancers. Mechanisms include disruption of the TGF-β/Smad pathway, induction of apoptosis via caspase activation, and ROS-mediated oxidative stress, with compounds such as curcumin and resveratrol targeting Wnt, Notch, and Hedgehog pathways. DISCUSSION: Plant-derived compounds show promise in targeting CSCs, enhancing chemotherapy sensitivity, and reducing tumor recurrence. However, inconsistent potency, limited clinical data, and bioavailability challenges limit translation. Standardized extracts and rigorous clinical trials are needed to validate efficacy and safety.
conclusionHerbal medicines offer a promising complementary approach to CSC-targeted cancer therapy, but further research is essential to overcome current limitations and enable clinical integration.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.