ANTITUMOR-ACTIVITY OF NATURAL SUBSTANCES - LECTINS AND SAFFRON

A major problem in the use of chemopreventing agents in cancer treatme nt is the potential toxicity of these drugs to normal cells. One appro ach to solve this problem is to employ the inhibitors of tumorigenesis which have a natural origin. Within the past few years, natural extra cts or purified compounds have become a well-established means for stu dying varied aspects of cancer. The recent development in plant lectin s research is characterized by increasing interest in the biological a ctivities of these lectins, specially in their antitumor effect. Anoth er natural spice - saffron-also become the focus of recent interest as antitumor agent. This review will briefly summarize research on the s tudy of antitumor and anticarcinogenic effects of plant lectins and sa ffron extract or their constituentes. These findings are interpreted a nd the possible mechanism of antitumor effects of plant lectins and sa ffron are discussed.