Targeted delivery of iron, cobalt and magnesium nanoparticles incorporating anticancer constituents of Euphorbia species for treatment of breast cancer

Abstract

This study aims to document plants from the Euphorbiaceae found in Southern Africa in order to understand their traditional medicinal uses, pharmacological properties, toxicity and their active secondary metabolites. Literature was gathered from multiple sources such as scientific journals, books, dissertations and conference papers between 1962-2023. The review was conducted on 15 Euphorbia species found in Southern Africa. Recent studies have revealed that certain compounds found in Euphorbia plants possess valuable biological and pharmacological properties. Despite this, the white sticky latex sap present in these plants can be highly toxic, though it can also be utilized for medicinal purposes. The phytochemical constituents of these plants have been shown to exhibit a variety of beneficial properties, including antibacterial, antioxidant, antiproliferative, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antifungal and anti-HIV effects. These plants owe their efficacy to a range of phytochemicals, such as euphol, cycloartenol, tirucallol and triterpenoids, each with its own unique biological and pharmacological characteristics. Additionally, several plants contain various proteins, including lectin, Chitobiosidase, Endochitinase, N-acetyl-b-glucosamidase and lysozyme. The data presented in this review sheds light on various species of Euphorbia found in Southern Africa. Although some Euphorbiaceae species have been screened for active compounds that have medicinal properties, the majority of documented plants have not been thoroughly screened, which is a matter of concern. Given their historic use, it is important to conduct further research to scrutinize the medicinal significance of the Euphorbia species. This should involve in-depth examinations of isolated compounds, their pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and pharmacotherapeutics, both in vitro and in vivo. This study will serve as a fundamental resource for researchers to explore the qualities and benefits of the unexplored Euphorbia species, and also design meaningful future studies.