Pharmacological Mechanisms of Action of Phytochemicals in Cancer Prevention and Treatment

Cancer is still the primary cause of mortality worldwide and is a serious health issue. As our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms behind the development of cancer has grown, a vast array of anticancer drugs has been created. The use of pharmaceuticals produced chemically has not significantly raised the overall survival rate during the last few decades. Therefore, novel strategies and state-of-the-art chemoprevention medications are needed to improve the efficacy of currently available cancer treatments. Phytochemicals are naturally occurring compounds sourced from plants that are useful for developing novel medications as well as for cancer therapy. Often, these phytochemicals function by regulating molecular pathways connected to the onset and progression of cancer. Among the specific methods are immune system modulation, inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, inhibiting proliferation, raising antioxidant status, and inactivating carcinogens. This chapter aims to provide an overview of phytochemicals, their pharmacologic activity, and specific molecular targets that may be involved in the regression of cancer. We also talked about the use of nanomaterials in phyto-nanomedicine formulations and their potential as preclinical and clinically validated anticancer drugs.