GDS – Research topic 5
ANTICANCER POTENTIAL OF MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC PLANTS
Another research topic of the Laboratory includes evaluation of anticancer properties and elucidation of antitumor mechanisms of Bulgarian plant species used in traditional medicine.
Elaboration of medicinal products for cancer prevention and therapy based on natural substances characterized by multi-target properties, efficiency against various oncological diseases and capability to potentiate chemosensitivity without causing side effects is of great interest to modern onco-pharmacology worldwide.
The combined use of phytochemicals with conventional chemotherapeutic drugs could contribute to more beneficial therapeutic effects through additive or synergistic action between various applied chemicals, affecting one or more targets associated with the neoplastic process. The considerable diversity, valuable biological characteristics and wide distribution of medical and aromatic plants make them a promising research object in the development of novel oncotherapeutic products.
Extracts, fractions and active compounds from medicinal plant species are objects of investigation using cancer and non-tumorigenic cell lines with human and animal origin as a model system for evaluation of their anticancer potential. We select substances that have a strong antineoplastic effect and selectively inhibit the growth of cancer cells preserving the viability and proliferation of untransformed cells. The studied mechanisms underlying the antitumor effect of plant substances comprise inhibition of cell proliferation through cell cycle arrest at a certain phase, induction of programmed cell death (apoptosis, autophagy), anticlonogenic effects, modulation of migration, invasion, metastasis and angiogenesis processes, influence on the epigenetic processes in cancer cell – DNA methylation, histone acetylation, etc. Research in this area aims to expand the knowledge on the biological activities and therapeutic potential of valuable Bulgarian plant species, thus contributing to better prevention and treatment of malignant diseases.
Read more:
Antov, G, Vilhelmova-Ilieva, N, Nikolova, M, Nikolova, I, Simeonova, L, Grozdanov, P, Krasteva, M, Vladimirova, A, Gospodinova, Z. (2023) In vitro evaluation of anticancer, antiviral, and antioxidant properties of an aqueous methanolic extract of Rhus typhina L. leaves. International Food Research Journal, 30, 774-782. https://doi.org/10.47836/ifrj.30.3.19
Gospodinova, Z, Antov, G, Novakovic, M, Tesevic, V, Krasteva, N, Pavlov, D, Valcheva-Kuzmanova, S. (2023) Antiproliferative activity of natural flavonoid fustin isolated from the heartwood of Cotinus coggygria Scop. against breast and colon cancer cell lines. Acta Medica Bulgarica, 50, 1, 27-33. https://doi.org/10.2478/amb-2023-0004
Gospodinova, Z, Nikolova, M, Antov, G. (2021) In vitro antiproliferative effects of Cotinus coggygria Scop. on human non-melanoma and melanoma skin cancer cells. American Journal of Pharmacy &Health Research, 9, 7, 12-21.
Gospodinova, Z, Zupkó, I, Bózsity, N, Manova, V, Georgieva, M, Todinova, S, Taneva, S, Ocsovszki, I, Krasteva, M. (2020) Cotinus coggygria Scop. induces cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, genotoxic effects, thermodynamic and epigenetic events in MCF7 breast cancer cells. Zeitschrift fur Naturforschung C. https://doi.org/10.1515/znc-2020-0087
Gospodinova, Z, Krasteva, M, Manova, V. (2017) Effects of Cotinus coggygria extract on the transcriptional levels of histone deacetylase genes in breast cancer cells in vitro. American Journal of Pharmacy and Health Research, 5, 8, 60-69.
Gospodinova, Z, Krasteva, M. (2017) Cotinus coggygria Scop. leaf extract exerts high but not dose and time dependent in vitro cytotoxic activity on human breast cancer cells. Genetics and Plant Physiology, 7, 3-4.
Gospodinova, Z, Bózsity, N, Nikolova, M, Krasteva, M, Zupkó, I. (2017) Antiproliferative properties against human breast, cervical and ovarian cancer cell lines, and antioxidant capacity of leaf aqueous ethanolic extract from Cotinus coggygria Scop. Acta Medica Bulgarica, 44, 2, 20-25. https://doi.org/10.1515/amb-2017-0014
Gospodinova, Z, Krasteva, M. (2015) Cichorium intybus L. from Bulgaria inhibits viability of human breast cancer cells in vitro. Genetics and Plant Physiology, 5, 1, 15-22.
Gospodinova, Z, Antov, G, Angelova, S, Krasteva, M. (2014) In vitro antitumor potential of Bulgarian Tanacetum vulgare L. on human breast adenocarcinoma cells. International Journal of Pharma Sciences, 4, 2, 468-472.
Angelova, S, Gospodinova, Z, Krasteva, M, Antov, G, Lozanov, V, Markov, T, Bozhanov, S, Georgieva, E, Mitev, V. (2013) Antitumor activity of Bulgarian herb Tribulus terrestris L. on human breast cancer cells. Journal of Bioscience and Biotechnology, 2, 1, 25-32.
