ABSTRACT
Cancer has been posed as a major threat to humans not because there are no medications available, but because all available therapies have many side effects (Saxena et al., 2010). All the current chemotherapeutic agents cause a lot of damage to non-cancerous cells along with the cancerous cells. Plant derived anticancer drugs act through multi-targets simultaneously and/or synergistically. Many of these drugs are also chemo preventive, which prevent the both primary and secondary recurrence of the disease. Many cancer patients, who are undergoing the therapy, take antioxidant supplements in an effort to alleviate treatment toxicity and improve the long-term outcomes. The modulating effects of antioxidants in treatment depend on a wide range of factors, including the metabolic state of the patient, the stage and site of the disease, and the modality being used (Carmia, 2004). Agents used in chemotherapy damage a plethora of cellular molecules, increase lipid peroxidation of molecules, reduce antioxidant levels, and enhance oxidative stress (Sangeetha et al., 1990). Therefore, combination of antioxidants with conventional anticancer drug will be beneficial. Dietary and endogenous antioxidants prevent cellular damage by reacting with and eliminating oxidizing free radicals. Considerable laboratory evidence from chemical, cell culture, and animal studies indicate that antioxidants may slow or possibly prevent the development of cancer. Studies show that a high intake of antioxidant rich foods is inversely related to cancer risk. While clinical studies on the effect of antioxidants in modulating cancer treatment are limited in number and size. Experimental studies show that antioxidant vitamins and some phytochemicals selectively induce apoptosis in cancer cells but not in normal cells and prevent the angiogenesis and metastatic spread, suggesting a potential role for antioxidants as adjuvants in cancer therapy. Henceforth, this synergistic approach can lead to minimized side effects and effective dose of conventional chemotherapeutics.
