The continuous progression of cancerous severity due to the interaction of physical (ultraviolet radiation), chemical (smoking, mycotoxins, and heavy metals), and biological (microbial populations) carcinogens inspired scientists to develop a correlation between active therapeutic agents and cancer proliferation. This review highlights the molecular mechanism by which lycopene imparts its anticancerous role, focusing on clinical and animal trials to validate its effectiveness. The antioxidant profile of lycopene promotes anticancerous properties that reduce cancer prevalence by activating cell signaling pathways and gene expression (involved in cancer cell proliferation). Lycopene's anti‐inflammatory properties suppresses the tumor growth and development‐promoting pathways, such as the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. The anticancer property of lycopene is also evidenced by its inhibitory potential of the Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway that is involved in cancer cell modulation and propagation. Lycopene also suppresses and neutralizes oxidative stress and reactive oxygen species (ROS)‐induced DNA damage, preventing gene mutation. Inflammation‐induced cell death is mitigated by lycopene's anti‐inflammatory potential that lowers the expression of interleukin 6 (IL‐6) and tumor necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α). Several clinical and randomized control trials have revealed the effect of lycopene supplementation in the management of cancer, including breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, ovarian cancer, skin cancer, oral cancer, liver cancer, gastric cancer, and kidney cancer, by lessening prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) levels. These studies also accentuate certain limitations that need further trials to evaluate the long‐term consequences of lycopene supplementations and their specific effective dose.

Hibiscus rosa‐sinensis , commonly known as the shoe flower, thrives in tropical and subtropical regions across South China, Asia, Africa, and America, adapting well to diverse environments. Its therapeutic potential is attributed to a range of bioactive compounds Anthocyanins, saponins, quercetin, kaempferol, and anthraquinones are found in various plant parts. These compounds scavenge reactive oxygen and nitrogen species and modulate inflammatory (IL‐6, TNF‐α, PPAR‐γ, cyclooxygenase) and oxidative (MDA, MPO, NO, SOD, GSH) markers, offering therapeutic benefits against cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular, neurological, gastrointestinal, and hepato‐renal disorders. The plant exhibits antidiabetic effects by lowering blood glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol, and postprandial glucose absorption. Cardioprotective properties are linked to the regulation of PPAR‐γ, SREBP‐1c, acetyl‐CoA carboxylase, and fatty acid synthase. Molecular docking studies reveal strong binding affinities of myricetin and rutin with α‐glucosidase (−10.5) and SOD (−8.6), highlighting their antidiabetic and hepatoprotective potential. H. rosa‐sinensis also exhibits antimicrobial activity against various bacterial (e.g., E. coli , S. aureus ) and fungal strains (e.g., A. flavus , A. niger ). Animal‐based studies affirm its safety between 400 and 800 mg/kg body weight. Its coloring, flavoring, nutritional, and therapeutic properties support applications in food, cosmetics, nutraceuticals, and dyeing. However, long‐term clinical trials are essential to validate its traditional uses and therapeutic efficacy.

The revolution in the 21st century has witnessed the development of the industrial and healthcare systems. Human health and well‐being are still global challenges despite this modernization and advancement. Cancer is extensively affecting people, demanding special attention and an effective dietary approach. Bioactive compound‐based natural therapies are a significant strategy to reduce the cancer burden. Naringenin, a bioactive compound widely distributed in the citrus family and is known for several health‐promoting properties, including anticancer activity. The current review highlights the anticancer potential of Naringenin by exploring recent studies through various databases like Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science. The analyses revealed that Naringenin can inhibit cell proliferation and oncogenesis through different molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways like apoptosis induction, cell cycle arrest, and modulation of P13K/AKT/mTOR, TGF‐β1/Smad3, NF‐κB, TLR4, and MAPK pathways. Moreover, it can inhibit inflammatory markers (IL‐6, TNF‐α, and IL‐1β), downregulate oncogenes (Ras, HER2, MYC, and BCR/ABL1), and upregulate tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) such as TP53, PTEN, and BRCA1 and BRCA2 expression. Combining Naringenin with other bioactive compounds, chemotherapy drugs, and nanoformulations is a novel way to enhance its anticancer activity. However, poor bioavailability, stability, and lack of clinical trials and in silico studies hinder its therapeutic potential. Therefore, advanced techniques to enhance its stability and clinical trials regarding anticancer potential are required to validate its promising efficacy. The current review focuses on Naringenin's bioavailability, antioxidant, and anticancer potential through possible mechanisms.

The diversity in the global food market is expanding as thousands of new products enter the business every year, among which nutraceutical and functional foods hold important positions. The present research work aimed at the nutritional evaluation of three medicinal herbs, i.e., turmeric (Curcuma longa L.), ginger (Zingiber officinale), and black cumin (Nigella sativa). A bread formulation was enriched with the individual/combined supplementation (1–3%) of these herbs. Later, the bread was analyzed for nutritional, rheological, textural, and sensorial characteristics. The results revealed that the herbs improved the nutritional composition of bread, especially ash and fiber, as the maximum ash and fiber contents were noticed in T₁₅ (2.0% dried powder of each plant) with values of 1.64 ± 0.04% and 4.63 ± 0.16%, respectively. The results regarding the rheological behavior showed minor variations in the rheological traits and a slight increase in dough development time up to 4.50 ± 0.20 min in T₁₀ from 2.80 ± 0.13 min in T₀. The sensorial attributes also indicated their marked suitability as external and internal characteristics were least affected by the addition of the herbs. Although some parameters like the crust and crumb colors were affected by the addition of black cumin, showing values of 6.25 ± 0.52 and 4.44 ± 0.19, respectively, in T₁₅, and aroma characteristics were affected by the addition of ginger, supplementation with a combination of herbs at lower doses mitigated the adverse effects of other herbs. Moreover, shelf-life extension, especially with the addition of turmeric powder, was the hallmark of this research. This study concluded that medicinal herbs can be incorporated into baked products to improve the nutritional and sensorial attributes of functional herbal bread.

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis flower is gaining attention for their rich nutritional and functional profile, positioning them as promising ingredients for health-oriented functional foods and beverages. However, limited studies have explored their direct application in functional foods and beverages. This study addresses that gap by assessing the nutritional composition, antioxidant potential, and incorporation of H. rosa-sinensis flower extract as a sustainable ingredient in clean-label functional tea formulations. Ultrasound-assisted extraction (20 kHz, 40 °C, 30 min; 1:20 solvent ratio) using various solvents was employed to obtain flower extracts. Functional teas formulations were developed by replacing green tea with flower extract at 25 %, 50 %, 75 %, and 100 % levels. Nutritional analysis of H. rosa-sinensis flower revealed high carbohydrate content (61.50 ± 1.18 %) and ash (3.71 ± 0.29 %), with calcium (1218 ± 26 mg/100 g), and potassium (1109 ± 40 mg/100 g) as dominant minerals. The H. rosa-sinensis flower extract exhibited strong antioxidant properties with total phenolic content (TPC) of 781.77 ± 4.66 mg GAE/100 g, DPPH inhibition activity of 84.72 ± 2.48 %, ABTS activity of 90.01 ± 2.32 %, and FRAP activity of 1654.4 ± 15.62 µg Fe/100 g. In tea formulations, the highest TPC and FRAP activity were in the control that was 100% green tea (429.98 ± 5.16 mg GAE/100 g, 1759.0 ± 4.48 µg Fe/100 g), while 75 % H. rosa-sinensis extract containing functional tea showed the highest DPPH inhibition activity of 70.05 ± 1.48 %, and ABTS activity of 71.79 ± 1.54 %. The sensory analysis indicated that the 50 % H. rosa-sinensis extract containing functional tea had the highest acceptability and optimal color attributes. FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of key functional groups (O-H, C=C), indicating abundant polyphenols and flavonoids. Overall, H. rosa-sinensis flower demonstrated excellent potential as sustainable ingredient for functional food and beverages development, offering improved antioxidant benefits and appealing sensory properties.

Cancer is emerging as a leading cause of death globally. Considering the disease burden, scientists are working to develop various strategies by exploring natural sources for cancer treatment. The use of olive oil (OO) and its phytochemicals, specifically oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol (HT), as a remedy against various types of cancer is gaining attention among scientists and researchers. The current review aimed to highlight the antioxidant potential and summarize the various pathways and markers involved in the prevention and treatment of different human cancers. The databases, including Google Scholar, PubMed, and Web of Science, were searched to collect relevant data. The studies showed that some markers are specifically linked to particular types of cancers (such as 27‐OHC, ATF‐2, TNFRSF10B, HER2, and MET, which are linked to breast cancer; iNOS and NO, which are linked to thyroid cancer; GLUT1 and GLUT4, HIF‐1α, MCT4, PKM2, PD‐1, PD‐L1, and CTLA‐4, which are linked to colorectal cancer). Olive oil is involved in the management of these markers to prevent and/or treat all types of cancers by upregulating tumor suppressor genes, downregulating oncogenes, and modulating different pathways (PI3K/AKT/mTOR, Wnt/β‐catenin, and MAPK). Taken together, it can be concluded that olive oil and its components have prominent potential to cure cancers in the human body. However, further investigations can be carried out to suggest the lethal doses of olive oils as a whole and its phytochemicals individually for the treatment of cancer.