Cancer treatment, including chemotherapy, surgery, or radiotherapy, imposes a significant strain on the body. Once malignant metastasis occurs, attaining a complete cure becomes difficult, irrespective of the method employed. Present cancer treatments are not only expensive but have proven ineffective over time due to the emergence of chemoresistance and tumour recurrence. Cancer incidence is anticipated to increase in the coming decades, thereby necessitating the development of new, more effective, and cost-efficient alternatives. Hence phytochemicals are being considered as potential alternatives for therapeutic interventions given their capacity to alter important signaling pathways that contribute to cancer progression, including apoptosis, cell proliferation, and metastasis. Growing evidence from preclinical and clinical studies underscores their ability to inhibit tumour proliferation and improve the effectiveness of standard cancer therapies, frequently reducing side effects. With the increasing global incidence of cancer, investigating phytochemicals as adjunctive or alternative strategies to conventional treatments presents novel opportunities for addressing this disease.
Although not classified as essential nutrients, phytochemicals exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties. They influence cellular signalling, immune system modulation, angiogenesis inhibition, detoxification support, and epigenetic modifications. Despite their immense potential, the mechanisms behind the biomedical effects of phytochemicals, particularly their anticancer effects, remain unclear. Additionally, their clinical application is currently limited. Crucial challenges include bioavailability, metabolism, and potential toxicities of phytochemicals.
This Research Topic aims to underscore the significance of bioactive compounds and plant extracts in cancer therapy, particularly their function in modulating molecular pathways within cancer cells. Consequently, we ask researchers to disseminate their findings to demonstrate the significant potential of phytochemicals in the chemotherapeutic management of cancer.
Please note: Manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics, computational analysis, or predictions of public databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent clinical or patient cohort, or biological validation in vitro or in vivo, which are not based on public databases) are not suitable for publication in this journal.
Keywords: Phytochemical, In Vitro, in Vivo, In Silico, Antioxidant
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