Cancer is one of the leading death cause of human population increasingly seen in recent times. Plants have been used for medicinal purposes since immemorial times. Though, several synthetic medicines are useful in treating cancer, they are inefficient and unsafe. However, plants have proved to be useful in cancer cure. Moreover, natural compounds from plants and their derivatives are safe and effective in treatment and management of several cancer types. The anticancer plants such as Catharanthus roseus, Podophyllum peltatum, Taxus brevifolia, Camptotheca acuminate, Andrographis paniculata, Crateva nurvala, Croton tonkinensis, Oplopanax horridus etc., are important source of chemotherapeutic compounds. These plants have proven their significance in the treatment of cancer and various other infectious diseases. Nowadays, several well-known anticancer compounds such as taxol, podophyllotoxins, camptothecin, vinblastine, vincristine, homoharringtonine etc. have been isolated and purified from these medicinal plants. Many of them are used effectively to combat cancer and other related diseases. The herbal medicine and their products are the most suitable and safe to be used as an alternative medicine. Based on their traditional uses and experimental evidences, the anticancer products or compounds are isolated or extracted from the medicinally important plants. Many of these anticancer plants have become endangered due to ruthless harvesting in nature. Hence, there is a need to conserve these species and to propagate them in large scale using plant tissue culture. Alternatively, plant cell tissue and organ culture biotechnology can be adopted to produce these anticancer compounds without cultivation. The proper knowledge and exploration of these isolated molecules or products could provide an alternative source to reduce cancer risk, anti-tumorigenic properties, and suppression of carcinogen activities. Anticancer plants: Volume 1, Properties and Application is a very timely effort in this direction. Discussing the various types of anticancer plants as a source of curative agent, their pharmacological and neutraceutical properties, cryo-preservations and recent trends to understand the basic cause and consequences involved in the diseases diagnosis. We acknowledge the publisher, Springer for their continuous inspiration and valuable suggestions to improvise the content of this book. We further extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our book contributors for their support, and assistance to complete this assignment. I am sure that these books will benefit the scientific communities including academics, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and medical practitioners.

This volume provides summarized scientific evidence of the different classes of plant-derived phytocompounds, their sources, chemical structures, anticancer properties, mechanisms of action, methods of extraction, and their applications in cancer therapy. It also discusses endophyte-derived compounds as chemopreventives to treat various cancer types. In addition, it provides detailed information on the enhanced production of therapeutically valuable anticancer metabolites using biotechnological interventions such as plant cell and tissue culture approaches, including in vitro-, hairy root- and cell-suspension culture; and metabolic engineering of biosynthetic pathways. Anticancer Plants: Natural Products and Biotechnological Implements – Volume 2” explores the natural bioactive compounds isolated from plants as well as fungal endophytes, their chemistry, and preventive effects to reduce the risk of cancer. Moreover, it highlights the genomics/proteomics approaches and biotechnological implementations. Providing solutions to deal with the challenges involved in cancer therapy, the book benefits a wide range of readers including academics, students, and industrial experts working in the area of natural products, medicinal plant chemistry, pharmacology, and biotechnology.

This book summarizes the application of plant derived anticancer compounds as chemopreventives to treat several cancer types, focusing on the molecular mechanisms of action of phytocompounds and providing an overview of the basic processes at the cellular and molecular level that are involved in the progression of the cancer and can be employed in targeted preventive therapies. In addition, it highlights the development of novel anticancer drugs from plant sources using bioinformatics approaches. The compiled chapter data aids readers understanding of issues related to bioavailability, toxic effects and mechanisms of action of phytocompounds, and helps them identify the leads and utilize them against various cancer types effectively. Furthermore, it promotes the use of bioinformatics tools in medicinal plants to expedite their use in plant breeding programs to develop molecular markers to distinguish disease subtypes and predicting mutation, which in turn improves cancer diagnosis and prognosis, and to develop new lead compounds computationally. The book provides scientific verifications of plant compounds mechanisms of action against various cancers and offers useful information for students, teachers, and healthcare professionals involved in drug discovery, and clinical and therapeutic research.

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in human beings. Though several synthetic medicines are used to treat cancer, they are largely inefficient and unsafe. In contrast, plants, which have been used for medicinal purposes since time immemorial, have proved to be useful in fighting cancer, with natural compounds from plants and their derivatives offering safe and effective treatment and management for several types of cancer. Plants such as Catharanthus roseus, Podophyllum peltatum, Taxus brevifolia, Camptotheca acuminate, Andrographis paniculata, Crateva nurvala, Croton tonkinensis, Oplopanax horridus etc., are important source of chemotherapeutic compounds. These plants have proven their value in the treatment of cancer and various other infectious diseases, and several common anticancer compounds such as taxol, podophyllotoxins, camptothecin, vinblastine, vincristine, homoharringtonine etc. have been isolated and purified from these medicinal plants. Unfortunately, many of these anticancer plants have become endangered due to ruthless and irresponsible harvesting practices. Hence, there is a need to conserve these species and to propagate them on a large scale using plant tissue culture. Alternatively, plant cell tissue and organ culture biotechnology could be adopted to produce these anticancer compounds without the need for cultivation. A better grasp and continuing exploration of these isolated molecules and products could provide a powerful alternative means of reducing cancer risk. “Anticancer Plants: Volume 3, Clinical Trials and Nanotechnology” provides a timely review of concepts and experimental data on the application of anticancer plants and their compounds in clinical trials, and on the use of nanotechnology in cancer therapy.

Advances in anti-cancer chemotherapy over recent years have led to improved efficacy in curing or controlling many cancers. Some chemotherapy-related side-effects are well recognized and include: nausea, vomiting, bone marrow suppression, peripheral neuropathy, cardiac and skeletal muscle dysfunction and renal impairment. However, it is becoming clearer that some chemotherapy-related adverse effects may persist even in long term cancer survivors. Problems such as cognitive, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal dysfunction, and neuropathy may lead to substantial long term morbidity. Despite improvements in treatments to counteract acute chemotherapy-induced adverse effects, they are often incompletely effective. Furthermore, counter-measures for some acute side-effects and many potential longer term sequelae of anti-cancer chemotherapy have not been developed. Thus, new insights into prevalence and mechanisms of cancer chemotherapy-related side effects are needed and new approaches to improving tolerance and reduce sequelae of cancer chemotherapy are urgently needed. The present Research Topic focuses on adverse effects and sequelae of chemotherapy and strategies to counteract them.

Polymeric Nanoparticles as Promising Tool for Anti-cancer Therapeutics provides an understanding of polymeric compounds and their use in cancer therapies. The book begins by giving an overview of the current status, future challenges and potential utilization of polymeric nanoparticles. It then covers specific polymeric nanoparticles through contributions from world-renowned experts and researchers. Chapters examine specific polymeric nanoparticles, their development as potential targeted delivery systems, and cancer characteristics that can be targeted for therapy development. The book synthesizes current research trends in the field, thus enhancing existing knowledge of nanomedicine, drug delivery and therapeutic intervention strategies in human cancers. Users will find this to be an ideal reference for research scientists and those in the pharmaceutical and medical fields who are working to develop novel cancer therapies using nanoparticle-based delivery systems. - Explores the development of polymeric nanoparticle systems for the purpose of cancer therapy - Presents thoroughly analyzed data and results regarding the usage of polymeric nanoparticles-based platforms for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer - Highlights various cancer characteristics that can be targeted for therapeutic development using polymeric nanoparticles

Many chemotherapeutic agents are available in today’s market that are highly effective against a variety of cancer types; however, the major drawbacks of these chemotherapeutic agents are the many side effects. As an alternative to these chemotherapeutic agents, there are a number of natural agents that are effective against cancer that have been tested in preclinical and clinical models over the years. These natural products must be documented and discussed in order to provide a thorough overview of all the options available for cancer treatment. The Handbook of Research on Natural Products and Their Bioactive Compounds as Cancer Therapeutics emphasizes the list of natural agents against all types of cancers and discusses the current state of research in the fields of natural products and their derivatives against cancer in preclinical and clinical models. This book also provides insight into the applications of meditation and mindfulness-based interventions in clinical and non-clinical conditions. Covering topics such as cancer therapy, antioxidants, and flavonoids, it is ideal for students, research scholars, academicians, professors, scientists, oncologists, doctors, and medical practitioners.