Unifying Mechanism for Plant Nutrients as Anticancer Agents: Electron Transfer, Reactive Oxygen Species and Oxidative Stress |Chapter 1 | Theory and Applications of Chemistry Vol. 4

Plants remain an important source of new drugs, new drug leads for making more effective drugs in the pharmaceutical industry. Plant based discovery resulted mainly in the development of anticancer and anti-infective agents providing new leads to the drug industry.

The present article focuses on a unifying mode of action for the nutrients, namely, resveratrol, epigallocatechin, polyene-ß-carotene, polyene lycopene, piperine, curcumin, genistein, luteolin, sulforaphane and pomegranate extract. The mechanism is based on electron transfer, reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress, which comprises an extension of earlier reports involving agents. Most of the compounds are precursors of electron transfer quinones, whereas others fit into the polyene category. The nutrients are better known as antioxidants. The dichotomy is addressed.   

Author(s) Details

Peter Kovacic

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182-1030, USA

Ratnasamy Somanathan

Centro de Graduados e Investigación del Instituto Tecnológico de Tijuana, Mesa de Otay, Tijuana, B.C. Mexico.

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Conceptualizing Cancer Stem Cells in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma | Chapter 04 | Emerging Issues in Science and Technology Vol. 3

There is increasing evidence that the growth and spread of cancers is driven by a small subpopulation of cancer stem cells (CSCs) – the only cells that are capable of long-term self-renewal, proliferation and generation of the phenotypically diverse tumor cell population. CSCs have been identified and isolated in a variety of human cancers including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Studies of many cancer types including HNSCC have identified CSCs using specific markers, but it is still unclear as to where in the stem cell hierarchy these markers fall. This is compounded further by the presence of multiple CSC subtypes within HNSCC, making investigation reliant on the use of multiple markers. The concept of cancer stem cells may have profound implications for our understanding of tumor biology and for the design of novel treatments targeted toward these cells. In this chapter we explore the current knowledge in CSC markers. We further attempt to conceptualize the role of CSCs in HNSCC – its implication in tumorigenesis and the possible additional approach in current treatment strategies.

Author(s) Details

Dr. Amit Shah [MDS]
Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology, MGM Dental College and Hospital, Kamothe, Navi Mumbai 410209, India.

Shilpa Patel
Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology, MGM Dental College and Hospital, Kamothe, Navi Mumbai 410209, India.

Jigna Pathak
Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology, MGM Dental College and Hospital, Kamothe, Navi Mumbai 410209, India.

Niharika Swain
Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology, MGM Dental College and Hospital, Kamothe, Navi Mumbai 410209, India.

Shwetha Kumar
Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology, MGM Dental College and Hospital, Kamothe, Navi Mumbai 410209, India.

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