Study of the Phytochemistry and Anticancer Activity of Plants from Family Rubiaceae

Background: Cancer is currently considered the leading reason of death globally and the danger of this disease is rising daily, especially after the major life-threatening side effects caused by synthetic drugs used for the treatment of cancer. Thus, the reliance on medicinal plants that have been used over the years for the management of cancer becomes crucial. Family Rubiaceae have been used in traditional medicine for treating various ailments being rich in secondary metabolites such as flavonoids, triterpenoids, alkaloids, volatile components, glycosides, and phenols. Objective: Based on the wide anticancer data reported on plants belonging to this family, compared to plant species from other families, it was aimed to present this review focusing mainly on the anticancer bioactive compounds in each plant species, the type of cancer cell inhibited, and the relative mechanism of activity. Methods: Accordingly, we adopted an exhaustive literature review in journals and books published in databases such as ScienceDirect, Embase, Scopus, Academic Google Scholar, Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), Web of Science, and Medline from 1995 to 2024. Results: The results revealed that plants from the Family Rubiaceae are rich in bioactive compounds of wide anticancer potential such as alkaloids, flavonoids, polyphenols, triterpenes, saponins, tannins, and quinones. The major anticancer actions were cytotoxic, apoptotic, antiproliferative, cytostatic, antimetastatic, and antioxidative as well as inhibition of angiogenesis, reduction of cancer cell viability, and cell cycle arrest. Conclusion: This work may be the cornerstone for researchers to focus on the ongoing discovery of new anticancer drugs based on plants from the family Rubiaceae and it may encourage further in-depth in-vivo and clinical trials in the future, to elucidate the anticancer efficacy and safety of these medicinal plants.