Potential role of natural products to combat radiotherapy and their future perspectives

Abstract

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the world. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy (RT) are the common cancer treatments. In addition to these limitations, the development of adverse effects from chemotherapy and RT reduces the quality of life for cancer patients. Cellular radiosen-sitivity, or the ability to resist and overcome cell damage caused by ionizing radiation (IR), is di-rectly related to cancer cells’ response to RT. Therefore, radiobiological research is emphasizing chemical compounds ’radiosensitization of cancer cells so that they are more reactive in the IR spec-trum. Recent years researchers have seen an increase in interest in natural products that have anti-tumor effects with minimal side effects. Natural products, on the other hand, are easy to recover and therefore less expensive. There have been several scientific studies done based on these compounds that have tested their ability in vitro and in vivo to induce tumor radiosensitization. The role of natural products in RT, as well as their usefulness and potential applications, is the goal of this current review.