Cell Death Induction Potential in Seed Extracts- Hidden and Bioactive Phytochemical Treasures

Abstract

Seeds have been known to possess bioactive components with anti-cancer properties. This study aims to demonstrate the processes by which seed extracts from various sources induce cell death. Several assays have been employed to demonstrate the induction of cell death by the respective seed extracts. This review also underscores the importance of Grape Seed Proanthocyanidins (GSPs) in terms of inducing the aforesaid physiological form of seed extract-induced cell death. Furthermore, this review highlights the critical and pressing need to conduct comparative HTS-based strategies (with a battery of cell lines representing different cancers) to identify the major seed extracts that can reproducibly serve to augment the cell death induction capabilities of the existing battery of chemotherapeutic drugs/natural alternatives.

Keywords

• seed extracts, cell death, gsps, drug-delivery potential