Olive and Winter Jujube Seeds in Cancer Prevention and Treatment

Cancer is a serious chronic illness that affects people all over the world, with a growing morbidity and fatality rate. Its global prevalence is expected to rise to 9.6 million by 2030. In addition to chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery, complementary and alternative therapies have been studied for the treatment of cancer. However, the efficacy of these treatments has been shown to be constrained by both medication-related adverse effects and cancer drug resistance. This emphasises the need for safer and more efficient alternatives to existing anticancer compounds. Natural compounds with substantial pharmacological action have been crucial in the development of novel cancer therapeutic strategies. Several studies have found that biologically active chemicals extracted from plants have anti-proliferative and anticancer properties against cancer cells. A thorough grasp of the metabolic pathways and mechanism can significantly advance therapy outcomes for patients. Humans have employed Olea europaea and Ziziphus jujuba seeds for a very long time for both sustenance and the treatment of many different illnesses, including cancer, owing to their bioactive gradients. Triterpenoid acids, unsaturated fatty acids, cyclopeptide alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, and neo-lignans, which are regarded as their distinctive and active components, are among the bioactive metabolites that contribute to their activities. They have powerful anti-melanogenic activities as they block the cAMP-CERB-MITF axis and hence tyrosinase activity. They greatly suppress the activities of cyclooxygenase COX-1 and COX-2, as well as the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) pathway. The antitumor efficacy and mechanism of action of olive and winter jujube seeds in cancer cells are discussed in this chapter.