Mangifera indica (family Anacardiaceae), commonly known as mango, is a pharmacologically, ethnomedically, and phytochemically diverse plant. Various parts of M. indica tree have been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of different ailments, and a number of bioactive phytochemical constituents of M. indica have been reported, namely, polyphenols, terpenes, sterols, carotenoids, vitamins, and amino acids, and so forth. Several studies have proven the pharmacological potential of different parts of mango trees such as leaves, bark, fruit peel and flesh, roots, and flowers as anticancer, anti‐inflammatory, antidiabetic, antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, anthelmintic, gastroprotective, hepatoprotective, immunomodulatory, antiplasmodial, and antihyperlipemic. In the present review, a comprehensive study on ethnopharmacological applications, pharmacological activities, and bioactive compounds of M. indica has been described.

A standardized poly-herbal decoction of Nigella sativa seeds, Hemidesmus indicus roots and Smilax glabra rhizomes used traditionally in Sri Lanka for cancer therapy has been demonstrated previously, to have anti-hepatocarcinogenic potential. Cytotoxicity, antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory activity, and up regulation of p53 and p21 activities are considered to be some of the possible mechanisms through which the above decoction may mediate its anti-hepatocarcinogenic action. The main aim of the present study was to determine whether apoptosis is also a major mechanism by which the decoction mediates its anti-hepatocarcinogenic action.

Cancer is a socioeconomical burden in any nation. Out of that, breast cancer is identified as the most common malignancy worldwide among women irrespective of age. As women are an important segment in a community, the weakening of their strength toward the development of a nation is a critical problem in each nation. In this review, it was aimed to discuss the characteristics of cancer genome, cancer genetics, and cancer epigenetics in general and then focus on discussing both genetic and nongenetic factors responsible for the predisposition of breast cancer in humans. More emphasis was placed on genes responsible for the early onset of the disease and which can be used as genetic tools in the identification of the disease at an early stage. Then the context of genetic involvement toward the breast cancer occurrence before age of 40 years was highlighted accordingly. In addition to genetic testing, the review paid adequate attention to mention novel liquid biopsy techniques and other clinical, laboratory, and radiologic assessments. These techniques can be used in early detection and recurrence as well as the surveillance of the patients after primary therapies.

The present study investigated the potential anticancer activity of the bark of Mangifera zeylanica, an endemic plant in Sri Lanka that has been traditionally used for cancer therapy. Cytotoxic and apoptotic effects were investigated in vitro using sulphorodamine assay, acridine orange and ethidium bromide staining, caspase‑3 and ‑7 activity, DNA fragmentation and reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction in estrogen receptor positive MCF‑7 and triple‑negative MDA‑MB‑231 breast cancer cell lines, SKOV‑3 ovarian cancer cell line and MCF‑10A normal mammary epithelial cells. Hexane extract demonstrated increased levels of cytotoxicity in cancer cells (IC50, 86.6‑116.5 µg/ml) compared with normal cells (IC50, 217.2 µg/ml). Chloroform extract demonstrated increased cytotoxicity to normal cells (IC50, 92.9 µg/ml) compared with cancer cells (IC50, 280.1‑506.5 µg/ml). Exposure to the hexane extract led to morphological changes characteristic of apoptosis and DNA fragmentation in the three cancer cell lines. Caspase‑3 and ‑7 were significantly activated in MDA‑MB‑231 and SKOV‑3 cells, indicating the occurrence of caspase‑dependent apoptosis in these cells, and caspase‑independent apoptosis in MCF‑7 cells. Furthermore, upregulation of proapoptotic Bcl‑2‑associated X protein occurred in the three cancer cell lines, and antiapoptotic survivin was downregulated in MCF‑7 and SKOV‑3 cells; by contrast, tumor protein p53 was upregulated only in MCF‑7 cells, suggesting p53‑mediated apoptosis in MCF‑7 cells and p53‑independent apoptosis in the remaining cancerous cell lines. In addition, fraction M1 obtained from bioactivity‑guided fractionation of the hexane extract demonstrated increased cytotoxicity in cancer cells (IC50, 15.4‑38.7 µg/ml) compared with normal cells (IC50, 114.6 µg/ml), with the highest cytotoxicity observed in MDA‑MB‑231 triple‑negative breast cancer cells. The hexane extract of M. zeylanica bark contained polyphenols and flavonoids, and caused free radical scavenging activity. Its gas chromatography‑mass spectrometry profile revealed the presence of long‑chain hydrocarbons, including β‑sitosterol and β‑amyrin. Fraction M1 contained seven unknown compounds and a small number of known non‑cytotoxic compounds. Collectively, results obtained in the present study indicate that the hexane extract of M. zeylanica bark mediates cytotoxic activities through induction of apoptosis in three cancer cell lines; thus, the hexane extract may be used to isolate novel anti-cancer compounds.

Gedunin is one of the major compounds found in the neem tree(Azadirachta indica). In the present study, antiproliferative potential of gedunin was evaluated in human embryonal carcinoma cells (NTERA-2, a cancer stem cell model) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), using Sulforhodamine (SRB) and WST-1 assays, respectively. The effects of gedunin on expression of heat shock protein 90 (HSP90), its cochaperone Cdc37, and HSP client proteins (AKT, ErbB2, and HSF1) were evaluated by real-time PCR. Effects of gedunin on apoptosis were evaluated by (a) apoptosis associated morphological changes, (b) caspase 3/7 expression, (c) DNA fragmentation, (d) TUNEL assay, and (e) real-time PCR of apoptosis related genes (Bax,p53,andsurvivin). Gedunin showed a promising antiproliferative effect in NTERA-2 cells with IC₅₀values of 14.59, 8.49, and 6.55 μg/mL at 24, 48, and 72 h after incubations, respectively, while exerting a minimal effect on PBMCs. Expression of HSP90, its client proteins, andsurvivinwas inhibited andBaxandp53were upregulated by gedunin. Apoptosis related morphological changes, DNA fragmentation, and increased caspase 3/7 activities confirmed the proapoptotic effects of gedunin. Collectively, results indicate that gedunin may be a good drug lead for treatment of chemo and radiotherapy resistant cancer stem cells.