Anticancer Effects of Sandalwood (Santalum album)

Effective management of tumorigenesis requires development of better anticancer agents with greater efficacy and fewer side-effects. Natural products are important sources for the development of chemotherapeutic agents and almost 60% of anticancer drugs are of natural origin. α-Santlol, a sesquiterp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Anticancer research 2015-06, Vol.35 (6), p.3137-3145
Main Authors: Santha, Sreevidya, Dwivedi, Chandradhar
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Apoptosis - drug effects
Carcinogenesis - drug effects
Cell Cycle Checkpoints - drug effects
Humans
Mice
Plant Extracts - chemistry
Plant Extracts - therapeutic use
Plant Oils - therapeutic use
Santalum - chemistry
Santalum album
Skin Neoplasms - chemically induced
Skin Neoplasms - drug therapy
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Summary:Effective management of tumorigenesis requires development of better anticancer agents with greater efficacy and fewer side-effects. Natural products are important sources for the development of chemotherapeutic agents and almost 60% of anticancer drugs are of natural origin. α-Santlol, a sesquiterpene isolated from Sandalwood, is known for a variety of therapeutic properties including anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-viral and anti-bacterial activities. Cell line and animal studies reported chemopreventive effects of sandalwood oil and α-santalol without causing toxic side-effects. Our laboratory identified its anticancer effects in chemically-induced skin carcinogenesis in CD-1 and SENCAR mice, ultraviolet-B-induced skin carcinogenesis in SKH-1 mice and in vitro models of melanoma, non-melanoma, breast and prostate cancer. Its ability to induce cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis in cancer cells is its most reported anticancer mechanism of action. The present review discusses studies that support the anticancer effect and the mode of action of sandalwood oil and α-santalol in carcinogenesis.
ISSN:0250-7005
1791-7530