Computational analysis of Ayurvedic herbs to explore their potential role as anti-cervical cancer agents

Document Type : Original article

Authors

1 Department of Bioinformatics, Goswami Ganesh Dutta Sanatan Dharma College, Sector-32, Chandigarh, India

2 Department of Biotechnology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India

3 Department of Zoology, RKSD College, Kaithal, Haryana, India

Abstract

Cervical cancer is one of the common types of cancer in women. Treatment regimens include use of chemotherapy but it leads to certain side effects thereby creating a need for safer therapeutic options. Ayurveda has a great potential to provide better treatment strategies. In this study, computational approaches have been employed to investigate the molecular mechanism of anti-cervical cancer Ayurvedic herbs. Initially, Ayurvedic plants possessing anti-cervical cancer activities were obtained from literature. Bioactive compounds present in such plants were evaluated for drug-likeliness, biological functions and associations with cancer-related pathways. This resulted in the most promising drug-like bioactive compounds which were found to target cancer pathways like microRNA and proteoglycans, Human papillomavirus infection. Anti-cervical cancer activity possessing herbs derived from the study include Camellia sinensis, Equisetum arvense, Rosmarinus officinalis. Major bioactive compounds extracted from the enlisted herbs that contribute in promoting anti-cervical cancer effects include allicin, apigenin, and mataresinol. Overall, our study has provided insights into the scientific mechanism behind anti-cervical cancer activities of the indigenous herbs of Ayurveda. In addition, this study has also highlighted key bioactive compounds which have a potential in targeting cancer related pathways and thus can further be utilized to devise better therapeutics to cure cervical cancer.

Keywords

References

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