Exploring the Potential of Rosemary Derived Compounds (Rosmarinic and Carnosic Acids) as Cancer Therapeutics: Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives.

Cancer is a global health challenge with high morbidity and mortality rates. However, conventional cancer treatment methods often have severe side effects and limited success rates. In the last decade, extensive research has been conducted to develop safe, and efficient alternative treatments that do not have the limitations of existing anticancer medicines. Plant-derived compounds have shown promise in cancer treatment for their anti-carcinogenic and anti-proliferative properties. Rosmarinic acid (RA) and carnosic acid (CA) are potent polyphenolic compounds found in rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) extract. They have been extensively studied for their biological properties, which include anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer activities. In addition, RA and CA have demonstrated effective anti-proliferative properties against various cancers, making them promising targets for extensive research to develop candidate or leading compounds for cancer treatment. This review discusses and summarizes the anti-tumor effect of RA and CA against various cancers and highlights the involved biochemical and mechanistic pathways.

Micromeria fruticosa Induces Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis in Breast and Colorectal Cancer Cells.

Micromeria fruticosa (L.) Druce subsp. Serpyllifolia (Lamiaceae) has been used widely in folk medicine to alleviate various ailments such as abdominal pains, diarrhea, colds, eye infections, heart disorders and wounds. A few reports have confirmed different therapeutic potentialities of its extracts, including the anti-inflammatory, gastroprotective, analgesic, antiobesity and antidiabetic activities. This study aimed to investigate the mechanistic pathway of the antiproliferative activity of the ethanolic extract of M. fruticose on two different cancer cell lines, namely human breast (mammary carcinoma F7 (MCF-7)) and human colorectal (human colon tumor cells (HCT-116)) cell lines. The 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide tetrazolium (MTT) assay, Annexin V-FITC/PI, caspases 8/9 and cell cycle analyses, qRT-PCR and Western blot were used to assess the effect of M. fruticosa on cytotoxicity, apoptosis, cell cycle, cell cycle-related genes and protein expression profiles in MCF-7 and HCT-116. The extract inhibits cell proliferation in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) for both cell lines was found to be 100 µg/mL. Apoptosis induction was confirmed by Annexin V-FITC/PI, that was related to caspases 8 and 9 activities induction. Furthermore, the cell cycle analysis revealed arrest at G2/M phase. The underlying mechanism involved in the G2/M arrest was found to be associated with the downregulation of CDK1, cyclin B1 and survivin that was confirmed by qRT-PCR and Western blotting.