Medicinal plants of Ecuador: A review of plants with anticancer potential and their chemical composition

Medicinal Chemistry Research

Volume 24, Issue 6, 11 June 2015, Pages 2283-2296

  (Review)

Bailon-Moscoso, N.^ab , 

Romero-Benavides, J.C.^c, 

Tinitana-Imaicela, F.^d, 

Ostrosky-Wegman, P.^a

 

^a  Departamento de Medicina Genómica y Toxicología Ambiental, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), México, DF, Mexico 
^b  Sección de Genética Humana, Microbiología y Bioquímica Clínica, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL), San Cayetano alto s/n, Loja, Ecuador 
^c  Departamento de Química, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL), Loja, Ecuador 

View additional affiliations

View references (118)

Abstract

Ecuador is well known for its biodiversity and its ancient richness. This review provides an overview of Ecuadorianplant species in terms of the ethnobotany and chemistry of natural products in relation to anticancer activity. Plantspecies were classified into two groups: (a) Ethnomedical species with confirmed antitumor activity and (b) species indigenous to Ecuador with anticancer potential. This review shows that there is a great chemical diversity in Ecuadorian plants that can be used for potential antitumor therapeutics, and chemical and biological analysis confirms the biomedical use of the plant-derived compounds as cytotoxic agents for cancer cells. (Figure Presented). © 2015 Springer Science+Business Media.

Author keywords

Anticancer; Ecuador; Ethnobotany; Ethnomedicine; Plant

Indexed keywords

EMTREE drug terms: antineoplastic agent; plant extract

EMTREE medical terms: Annona montana; Annona muricata; Annona squamosa; antineoplastic activity; Bryophyllum pinnatum; Casearia; Casearia sylvestris; Cinchona; Cinchona officinalis; condurango; Croton; Croton lechleri; Ecuador; ethnobotany; Licania intrapetiolaris Spruce; malignant neoplastic disease; medicinal plant; Minquartia guianensis; Monnina obtusifolia; native species; nonhuman; Review; Senna; Senna multiglandulosa; spruce; traditional medicine; Uncaria tomentosa

ISSN: 10542523 CODEN: MCREESource Type: Journal Original language: English

DOI: 10.1007/s00044-015-1335-7Document Type: Review

Publisher: Birkhauser Boston

Funding Details

Acronym; Sponsor: SENESCYT; Secretaría de Educación Superior Ciencia Tecnología e Innovación