Table 3.
Reported anticancer activity of medicinal plants used in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa.
| S/N | Scientific Name | Plant Part Used | Extract | Active Phytochemical | Effect on Cancer Cells/Anticancer Activity | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aloe ferox Mill | Leaves | Dichloromethane | * | Inhibits a prostate cancer (PC3) cell line | [100] |
| 2 | Aspalathus linearis | Whole plant | Aqueous, methanol | Nothofagin (1) and aspalathin (2) | Inhibits cell proliferation; thus, interferes with the growth of cancerous cells in the skin | [56] |
| 3 | Agapanthus africanus (L.) Hoffmanns | * | * | * | * | * |
| 4 | Cannabis sativa L. | Stem, fruit and leaf | Dichloromethane, methanol and acetone | Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) (3) and cannabidiol (CBD) (4) | Inhibits the growth of breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7), glioblastoma (SF-268) and colon adenocarcinoma (HT-29) cells | [62,63] |
| 5 | Celtis africana Burm.f. | * | * | * | * | * |
| 6 | Cissampelos capensis L. | Rhizomes | Alkaloid | Bisbenzyltetrahydroisoquinoline (5), 12-O-methylcurine (6), and cycleanine (7) | Inhibits the growth of breast adenocarcinoma (MCF7), melanoma (UACC62) and renal (TK10) cells | [93,101] |
| 7 | Catharanthus roseus (L.) | Leaves, stem | Alkaloid, aqueous | Vinamidine (8), leurosine (9) and catharine (10) | Cytotoxicity against ovarian (A2780), lung (H460), skin (A431), prostrate (Du145), colon (HT29 and) breast (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) cell lines | [69] |
| 8 | Curcuma longa | Leaves, rhizomes | Aqueous | Curcumin (11) and desmethoxycurcumin (12) | Inhibits the proliferation/viability of human lung cancer (A549), colon cancer (HT29), glioblastoma (T98G) and Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines | [102,103] |
| 9 | Curtisia dentata (Burm.f.) C.A.Sm. | Leaves | Acetone | Lupeol (13), betulinic acid (14), ursolic acid (15) and β-sitosterol (16) | Inhibits the growth of human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF7), human cervical cancer cells (Hela), human colorectal carcinoma cells (caco-2) and human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2) | [104,105] |
| 10 | Elytropappus rhinecerotis | * | * | * | * | * |
| 11 | Eucomis autumnalis (Mill.) Chitt | Root | Methanol | * | Inhibits the growth of a human hepatoma cell line (Huh-7) | [73] |
| 12 | Euphorbia ingens E.Mey. ex Boiss | * | * | * | * | * |
| 13 | Gunnera perpensa L. | Root | Dichloromethane | Z-venusol 5 (17) and pyrogallol (18) | Cytotoxicity against prostate (PC3) and breast cancer (MCF-7) cell lines | [50] |
| 14 | Hermannia depressa | Shoot | Acetone and aqueous | * | Inhibition of breast cancer (MCF-7) and cervical cancer HeLa cell lines | [96] |
| 15 | Hypoxis argentea Harv. ex Baker | * | * | * | * | * |
| 16 | Hypoxis hemerocallidea Fisch., C.A.Mey. and Avé-Lall | Corms | Chloroform | Hypoxoside (19) | Inhibits the growth of colon adenocarcinoma (HT-29), human cervical cancer cells (Hela) and breast adenocarcinoma (MCF7) cells causing DNA cell cycle arrest at the late G1 and/or early S phase | [106] |
| 17 | Knowltonia capensis (L.) Huth | * | * | * | * | * |
| 18 | Merwilla plumbea (Lindl.) Speta | * | * | * | * | * |
| 19 | Melianthus major L | Leaves | Petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol | Bufadienolide (20) and 2β-acetoxy-3,5-di-O-acetylhellebrigenin (21) | Cytotoxicity towards human epithelial larynx carcinoma (Hep 2) and breast cancer (MCF-7) cell lines | [107,108] |
| 20 | Pittosporum viridiflorum Sims | Leaves and bark | Acetone, methanol | Pittoviridoside (22) | Inhibits the growth of breast MCF-7, colorectal Caco-2, lung A549, cervical Hela and ovarian cancer A2780 cells | [78,80] |
| 21 |
Sarcophyte sanguinea Sparrm. subsp. sanguinea |
* | * | * | * | * |
| 22 | Solanum aculeastrum Dunal subsp. aculeastrum | Fruit | Methanol and aqueous | Tomatidine (23) and solasodine (24) | Antiproliferative activity against cervical HeLa, breast adenocarcinoma (MCF7) and colon adenocarcinoma (HT29) cells by blocking the cell cycle in the G0/G1phase; cytotoxic effect against A2780 ovarian carcinoma, DU145 prostate carcinoma and Sk-Br3 breast adenocarcinoma cells | [83,84] |
| 23 | Sutherlandia frutescens L. R.Br. | Whole plant | Methanol and aqueous | L-canavanine (25) | Induces apoptosis and cytotoxicity in neoplastic cells (cervical carcinoma) and CHO (Chinese hamster ovary cells) cell lines; induces growth inhibition of human squamous carcinoma (SiHa cell line) thereby causing cell cycle arrest at the S phase | [87,88] |
| 24 | Tulbaghia violacea Harv | Leaves | Methanol, hexane, acetone, butanol | * | Induces apoptosis in breast cancer (MCF7 and MB MDA231), cervical cancer (HeLa and ME-180) and oral cancer (KB) cell lines causing cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase | [88] |
*: not available.