cancer treatments

What are the two most notable plants associated with cancer treatments?

Pacific yew and mayapple.

How many anticancer drugs were introduced in western medicine between 1981 and 2002?

77 anticancer drugs.

What are biologicals in cancer treatment?

antibodies and proteins that activate the immune system to target foreign cells.

What are Vinca alkaloids?

anti-mitotic agents that interfere with spindle fiber formation during mitosis.

What is the primary effect of chemotherapy?

cytotoxic drugs to kill cancerous cells and prevent their division.

What is vinblastine used for?

treating Hodgkin's disease (lymphatic), choriocarcinoma (placenta), and neoplasms.

What is the main concern regarding the harvesting of Pacific yew bark?

unsustainable and could lead to the extinction of the species.

What medicinal uses did the mayapple have historically?

laxative and to treat venereal warts, cancerous tumors, and polyps.

What is etoposide and what is it used for?

treat leukemia, lymphomas, and brain and bladder tumors.

What is camptothecin and its significance in cancer treatment?

gastrointestinal tumors and inhibits the enzyme topoisomerase 1.

What is the role of the USDA screening program established in 1957?

detect cortisone precursors in plants.

What is the active compound found in the Petty Spurge and its effects?

treating skin lesions and nonmelanoma skin cancers.

What is the significance of maytansinoids in cancer treatment?

anti-mitotic agents that are 10-100 times more toxic than vinblastine.

What is the purpose of using carrier molecules in cancer treatment?

deliver cytotoxic agents specifically to cancerous tumors.

What is the function of trastuzumab emtansine?

breast cancer treatment and combines a monoclonal antibody with a maytansinoid.

What is the historical use of the Tree of Joy in traditional medicine?

in China for treating carcinomas of the stomach, rectum, colon, and bladder.

What are the side effects associated with the use of mayapple?

seizures and comas.

What is the significance of the Bower Manuscript?

Sanskrit compilation that discusses the use of yew in treating cancerous abdominal tumors.

What is the effect of podophyllotoxin?

cytolytic, causing cell rupture and is used in treating leukemia.

What is the role of rohitukine in cancer treatment?

chromane alkaloid that inhibits cyclin-dependent kinase and induces cell death.

What is the significance of the term 'cytotoxic' in cancer treatments?

substances that are toxic to cells, particularly cancerous cells.

rosy periwinkle is what kind of plant 

small annual 

rosy periwinkle is native to

madagascar

rosy periwinkle was used in madagascar as

anti-diabetic (insulin)r

rosy periwinkle in south africa 

oral hypoglycemic agent (lower blood sugar levels), diabetes, and rheumitism

rheumatism is

inflammation of the body

rosy periwinkle in brazil was used for

hemorrhages and scurvy

robert noble and charles beer 

no effect of diabetes but cytotoxic effect on white blood cells 

rosy periwinkle chemical

vinblastine (alk)

vincristine (alk) 

vincristine used for 

acute leukemia (childhood)

Vinorelbine used for

breast cancer, non small cell lung cancer

rosy periwinkle semi synthetics

vinorelbine

pacific yew is 

small tree

pacific yew native

pacific coast

indigenous used pacific yew for

stomach ache and treat tumours

bower manuscript 

sanksrit taling about yew use for tumours long before medicine 

pacific yew was used for

ovarian and breast cancer and prostate cancer

why didnt pacific yew work

need so much bark

pacific yew part used 

bark 

semisynthetics of pacific yew

paclitaxel (alk)

paclitaxel needs to come from

european yew leaves and branches

Mayapple 

understory herbaceous plant 

mayapple native to

North America

which part of mayapple used

rhizome

indigenous used mayapple for 

laxative 

europeans used it for

vnereal warts, cancerous tumours, polyps

mayapple chemical

podophyllotoxin (phenolic lignan)

podophyllotoxin works

anti-mitotic drug, binds to tubulin preventing microtubule formation in cell division

phodophyllotoxin used today for 

genital warts 

semi synthetics of mayapple

teniposide

etoposide

teniposide used for

childhood leukemia

etoposide for 

treating leukemia, lymphomas, brain and bladder tumours 

how do etoposide and teniposide work

inhibit of topoisomerase 1, an enzyme essential to the maitenance of DNA structure

Tree of Joy

small decisuous tree

tree of joy native to

tibet and china 

parts of tree of joy used

bark, roots, and fruit

tree of joy use in china

carcinomas of stomach, rectum, colon, bladder

chemical of tree of joy

camptothecin (alk) 

camptothecin used for

gastrointestinal tumours

problem with camptothecin

severe side effects

how does camptothecin work 

inhibits enzyme topoisomerase 1 (dna structure) 

semisynthetic of camptothecin

1. topotecan

2. irinotecan

3. other

topotecan used for 

ovarian cancer 

irinotecan

colorectal cancer

Petty spurge

annual euphorb

petty spurge native to 

europe and western asia 

petty spurge in australia and NA

sap for skin lesions and basal cell carcinomas

petty spurge chemical

ingenol mebutate (diterpenoid ester)

petty spurge use now 

actinic keratosis (sun and could be squamous)

basal cell carcinomas 

how does ingenol mebutate work

cell death by targeting sub epidermal vasculature of skin cancer tumours

Dysoxylum

mehogany

dysoxylum native 

india, southeast asia, southwest china

dysoxylum part

bark

dysoxylum chemical

rohitukine (alk)

dysoxylum semi-synthetic

• flavopiridol

flavopiridol works by

inhibits cyclin dependent kinase (halts transcription) = cell death

flavopiridol use 

ovarian, breast, lung cancer 

rheumatoid arthritis 

orphan status for acute myeloid leukemia

dysoxylum fruit used

indian for anti inflammatory, dieuretic, CNS depressent

Plum yew

slow coniferous

plum yew native 

japan 

plum yew chemical

omacetaxine (alk)

semi synthetic of plum yew 

imatinib 

imatinib works by

inhibits enzymes

imatinib used for

chronic myelogenous leukemia

omacetaxine works by 

inhibits the inital elongation step in protein synthesis 

Maytenus

genus of tropical woody (vines, shrubs, trees)

maytenus chemical 

maytansinoid (alk)

maytansinoid works by

anti-mitotic agent that binds to tubulin

problems with maytenus

dangerous side effects to CNS

Maytenus now

tissue-specific targeted delivery

tissue specific targeted delivery means

carrier molecules (tumor reactive monoclinical antibodies) deliver cytotoxic agent to cancerous tumour

Maytenus semi-synthetic 

mertanise 

entanise

trastuzuman amtansine 

lorvotuzumab mertansine 

trastuzumab emtansine

transtuzumab= monoclinical antibody

emtansine = maytansinoid

breast cancer

lorvotuzumab mertansine

orphan status for merkel cell carcinoma