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Pharmacotherapy of Cancer from the Perspective of Traditional Persian Medicine

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Cancer Genetics and Psychotherapy

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Abstract

Cancer has always been considered as a life-threatening disease with an etiology which is not yet completely understood. Currently, there are a wide variety of chemotherapeutic and biological agents in the market which are used for the treatment of different types of cancer under specific guidelines. A numerous number of these chemotherapeutic agents like taxanes, vinca alkaloids, and camptothecin derivatives have been isolated from natural sources; thus, nature provides an endless source of new phytochemicals as lead compounds for the generation of future anticancer agents. To find better candidates as anticancer agents, folklore and traditional medicine of countries all over the world can be a reliable guide. In addition to purification of anticancer compounds, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) can be considered as an adjuvant therapy in line with the standard chemotherapy protocols (Farzaei et al. in Curr Pharm Des 22:4201–4218, 2016a). To achieve this goal, enough evidence must be provided regarding the safety and efficacy of these natural agents. Traditional Persian medicine (TPM) is one of the most ancient categories of CAM which is globally well-known due to the unique medical texts like Canon of medicine by Avicenna written in 1025 A.D and Razi’s “continens” (Alhavi) written around 960 A.D and its specific doctrine based on temperaments and humors. This chapter aims to introduce the most important anticancer agents used in TPM and summarizing current evidence on the anticancer properties of these natural medicines.

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Abbreviations

Bax:

Bcl-2-associated X protein

Bcl-2:

B-cell lymphoma 2

CAM:

Complementary and alternative medicine

Casp:

Caspase

CAT:

Catalase

CD:

Cluster of differentiation

CDK:

Cyclin-dependent kinase

COX:

Cyclooxygenase

CXCR4:

C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4

GSH:

Glutathione

HIF:

Hypoxia inducible factor

JNK:

C-Jun N-terminal kinase

IFN:

Interferon

iNOS:

Inducible nitric oxide synthase

IL:

Interleukin

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

SOD:

Superoxide dismutase

NF-κB:

Nuclear factor kappa B

MAPK:

Mitogen-activated protein kinases

MMP:

Matrix metalloproteinase

ODC:

Ornithine decarboxylase

PARP:

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase

PKC:

Protein kinase

POLD1:

Polymerase delta catalytic subunit gene 1

RBC:

Red blood cell

RANKL:

Receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand

mRNA:

Messenger RNA

STAT:

Signal transducer and activator of transcription

TPM:

Traditional Persian medicine

TGF:

Transforming growth factor

TNF:

Tumor necrosis factor

TCF-4:

T-cell factor 4

VEGFR:

Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Traditional Pharmacy, School of Traditional Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Roodabeh Bahramsoltani & Roja Rahimi

  2. PhytoPharmacology Interest Group (PPIG), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran

    Roodabeh Bahramsoltani & Roja Rahimi

  3. Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran

    Mohammad Hosein Farzaei

  4. Medical Biology Research Center, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran

    Mohammad Hosein Farzaei

  5. PhytoPharmacology Interest Group (PPIG), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Kermanshah, Iran

    Mohammad Hosein Farzaei

  6. Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Vahideh Oveissi

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  1. Roodabeh Bahramsoltani
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  2. Mohammad Hosein Farzaei
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  3. Vahideh Oveissi
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  4. Roja Rahimi
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Correspondence to Roja Rahimi .

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  1. Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Parvin Mehdipour

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Bahramsoltani, R., Farzaei, M.H., Oveissi, V., Rahimi, R. (2017). Pharmacotherapy of Cancer from the Perspective of Traditional Persian Medicine. In: Mehdipour, P. (eds) Cancer Genetics and Psychotherapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64550-6_20

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