Is there evidence that Withania somnifera is effective in tumor Dissertation

Is there evidence that Withania somnifera is effective in tumor suppression - Dissertation Example At present, plant products have already been used as a standard chemotherapeutic agent. For example, vinblastine (from periwinkle (Catharanthus)) and paclitaxel (from Yew tree (genus Taxus)) are already a part of chemotherapeutic options used against cancer (Choudhary et al., 2010). Because a high number of individuals still suffer from cancer, the search is still ongoing for the compound, both natural and synthetic, that can hopefully decrease the cancer-caused mortality rate considerably. Withania somnifera, commonly called as Ashwagandha, is a member of Solanaceae family, together with Nicotiana (tobacco), Solanum (potato), and Capsicum (pepper). In herbal medicine, W. somnifera has already been used against various health conditions. In Pakistan, it has been used against respiratory problems (Choudhary et al., 2010). In India, it has been recognized as an aphrodisiac and invigorating medicine (Choudhary et al., 2010). The plant is also used against intestinal ulcers, rectal bleed ing and irritable bowel (Pawar et al., 2011). Several withanolides isolated from Ashwagandha were also found to possess anti-glycation, possibly against diabetes, and anti-pyretic effects (Choudhary et al., 2010). ... EVIDENCE OF TUMOR SUPPRESSION ACTIVITY OF Withania somniferous In this literature review, four journal articles, ranging from 2003 to 2011, were looked into. Most of the methods used by these studies are in vitro, and only one using in vivo, although in an experimental model (rats). Google scholar was used as a search engine, with the results limited to 2000 to 2011. The search terms used were â€Å"Withania somnifera cancer†. Later in this paper, the quality of the research would be assessed mostly based on the methods used in the purification and activity assays. Activity of crude methanolic extract against NCI-H460 Compounds from the leaves and stems of W. somnifera were tested for its anti-proliferative activity against human lung cancer cell line NCI-H460 in vitro. In this study by Choudhary et al. (2010), tested for growth inhibitory and cytotoxic activities were the (1) crude methanolic extract of W. somnifera, (2-4) three isolates, and the positive control (5) doxorubi cin. The isolates were obtained using silica gel chromatography. They were then characterized using mass spectrometry and NMR. One of the three compounds were identified as withaferin A, while the other two were found to be its chlorinated steroidal lactone and epoxide derivatives, respectively. In testing their activity, GI50, or the concentration causing 50% growth inhibition of NCI-H460 cells, and LC50, or the concentration causing the death of 50% of the same cancer cell line, were measured for all the five test substances. The obtained data were compared using one-way ANOVA and Duncan’s multiple range test (p < 0.05) using SPSS 17 program. Finally, the report also mentioned the presence of other studies that confirm the growth inhibitory activity of withaferin A against other