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Anticancer Potentials of Phytochemicals from Some Indigenous Food and Medicinal Plants of West Africa

Joseph O Nwankwo*

A selected number of potential anticancer agents in phytochemicals isolated from some indigenous food and medicinal plants of the West African sub-region, has been reviewed. The attempt has benefited from a store of knowledge on the characterized and identified phytochemicals from indigenous plants by organic chemists, in the past six or so decades. Such compounds as satisfied the structure-activity-relationships with known anticancer active agents were selected and profiled and cover phytochemical classes as: alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, and ‘miscellaneous’, the latter class comprising compounds considered chemically inappropriate for the previous classes. Anticancer activities covered include: induction of carcinogen-metabolizing enzymes, selective cytotoxicity to tumor cells, reversal of multidrug resistance in cancer cells, and inhibition of metastasis. Food and medicinal uses of the source plants have also been described.