Fig. 5.

Possible mechanism of action of Mucuna seeds against tumor. Folic acid can undergo a reduction to the biologically active coenzyme, tetrahydrofolic acid. Also, antimetabolites are directly incorporated into DNA, which inhibits DNA synthesis. Accordingly, these drugs are generally grouped into derivatives of folic acid that inhibit enzymes that utilize folic acid or synthesize the precursors of purine and pyrimidine, which are necessary for the growth of the cell. These drugs disrupt the formation of those mitotic spindles and, as a result, interrupt cell division.