Preclinical assays for identifying cancer chemopreventive phytochemicals

Abstract

Dietary factors influence carcinogenesis in a variety of tissues. The consumption of fruits and vegetables is associated with a decreased risk of several types of epithelial malignancies. In addition, there are interrelationships between diet, environmental factors, and genetics that can affect cancer risk. Potential chemopreventive agents against cancer development can be found among nutritive and/or nonnutritive compounds in inedible and edible plants. To identify potential cancer chemopreventive agents, scientists are evaluating hundreds of phytochemicals for the prevention of cancer. This short review article describes in vitro and in vivo assays reported to identify potential cancer preventive compounds from plants.