华文行楷钢笔字帖(4000个常用字).doc

Abdollahi and Shetab-Boushehri DARU Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 2012, 20:61
tent/20/1/61
EDITORIAL Open Access
Is it right to look for anti-cancer drugs amongst
compounds having antioxidant effect?
Mohammad Abdollahi1† and Seyed Vahid Shetab-Boushehri2*†
Keywords: Cancer, Antioxidants, Free radicals, Oxidative stress
In the recent years, there has been a mounting interest drug or plant extract which can increase intracellular
on the use of natural products with antioxidant effect in hydrogen peroxide and further position to water
the management of cancer. If one evaluates search and oxygen may be effective in treatment of cancer [5].
engines will find a burden of papers that have tried to On the other hand, hydrogen peroxide can convert to
test natural products having anti free radical effects in hydroxyl anion and hydroxyl radical via a process called
the management of cancer. But the sense does not seem Fenton reaction. Thus, we need pound to produce
rational because in cancer we need pound to kill free radicals not scavenge free radicals to overwhelm
cancer cells. As a matter of fact, free radicals induce oxi- cancer. Although beneficial role of antioxidants in can-
dative stress in the body and their deleterious effect in cer prevention has been well described, it is still in doubt
many deliberating diseases that have no exact cure such whether or not antioxidants are effective in treatment of
as diabetes [1], colitis [2], osteoporosis [3], environmen- cancer. Theoretically, antioxidants scavenge superoxide
tal toxins [4] or cancer [5] has been well documented. In anion radical and thus deplete the supply of intracellular
spite of this fact, many examples can be given that some hydrogen peroxide which may deteriorate cancer condi-
although produce free radicals but do not induce cancer tions. On the other hand, they scavenge hydroxyl radi-
such as paraquat toxicity [6] and Alzheimer disease [7]. cals which have beneficial effects.