perspective, including anticancer, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant,
antiinsecticidal activities to name a few (Lodh and Swamy 2019). In recent times,
cancer is affecting the lives of many people in the society and is one among the
highest death instigating menace around the globe (Ravichandra et al. 2018; Akhtar
and Swamy 2018, b; Sasidharan and Saudagar 2019). Herbs are being utilized since
from the history in different folk medicines in India, China, Indonesia, Malaysia,
etc., for treating several human health issues. The occurrence of chemically diverse
biologically active phytoconstituents is accounted for the impartment of medicinal
values to plant species. Many such biologically active constituents have been
isolated and documented with experimental proofs on their pharmacological
activities (Lodh and Swamy 2019). Some of the important medicinal plants having
bioactive compounds include Camptotheca accumulata, Catharanthus roseus,
Coleus forskohlii, Tinospora cordifolia, Centella asiatica, Gloriosa superba,
Oplopanax horridus, etc. Today, several well-known therapeutically much-admired
compounds, such as camptothecin (CPT), taxol, podophyllotoxins, luteolin, rosmarinic acid, vincristine, ginsenosides, homoharringtonine, and many more are
being sequestered and quantified from several herbs. Also, plants are the major
natural resources for recovering anticancer agents (Lee et al. 2018; Akhtar and
Swamy 2018a, b).
The innovation of an important antitumor alkaloid, CPT has prospered the
interest among plant scientists, phytochemists, biologists, medical doctors, drug
discovery institutions, and pharmaceutical industries. CPT is a highly valued
compound because of its unique therapeutical potential especially in treating various cancers (Rahier et al. 2005; Venditto and Simanek 2010; Kacprzak 2013;
Prakash et al. 2016; Pu et al. 2019). The presence of CPT was firstly revealed from
the Camptotheca acuminata Decne. (Nyssaceae) tree species, available in China.
Soon after that CPT was also found in other plant sources such as Nothapodythes
nimmoniana, Chonemorpha grandiflora, Ophiorrhiza mungos; Ophiorrhiza pumila
and Ophiorrhiza filistipula, etc. Also, some of the entophytic fungi such as
Entrophospora infrequens, Fusarium solani, etc. associated with these plant species
were shown to secrete CPT in low amount (Kaushik et al. 2015; Raveendran 2015;
Prakash et al. 2016; Pu et al. 2019). However, the yield of CPT is very low in all
these natural resources. Globally, the annual production of CPT from plant sources
is only about 600 kg, while the demand is assessed to be roughly 3000 kg per
annum in the world market. Thus, alternative approaches such as biotechnology or
chemosynthesis must be adopted.
Though, this natural compound is effective in exhibiting cytotoxicity, however,
numerous critical issues are presented by CPT including less water solubility,
stability in addition to unpredictable adverse effects in patients such as vomiting,
myelosuppression, diarrhea, etc. (Martino et al. 2016). For overcoming these issues,
several attempts are being made to develop new chemical derivatives, which are
readily soluble through semisynthetic approaches involving the basic structure
modifications (Venditto and Simanek 2010). Over a time, the chemical exploration
of CPT has resulted in few major anticancer chemotherapeutic drugs such as
irinotecan and topotecan. Presently, irinotecan, topotecan, 9-aminocamptothecin,
312
M. K. Swamy et al.
antiinsecticidal activities to name a few (Lodh and Swamy 2019). In recent times,
cancer is affecting the lives of many people in the society and is one among the
highest death instigating menace around the globe (Ravichandra et al. 2018; Akhtar
and Swamy 2018, b; Sasidharan and Saudagar 2019). Herbs are being utilized since
from the history in different folk medicines in India, China, Indonesia, Malaysia,
etc., for treating several human health issues. The occurrence of chemically diverse
biologically active phytoconstituents is accounted for the impartment of medicinal
values to plant species. Many such biologically active constituents have been
isolated and documented with experimental proofs on their pharmacological
activities (Lodh and Swamy 2019). Some of the important medicinal plants having
bioactive compounds include Camptotheca accumulata, Catharanthus roseus,
Coleus forskohlii, Tinospora cordifolia, Centella asiatica, Gloriosa superba,
Oplopanax horridus, etc. Today, several well-known therapeutically much-admired
compounds, such as camptothecin (CPT), taxol, podophyllotoxins, luteolin, rosmarinic acid, vincristine, ginsenosides, homoharringtonine, and many more are
being sequestered and quantified from several herbs. Also, plants are the major
natural resources for recovering anticancer agents (Lee et al. 2018; Akhtar and
Swamy 2018a, b).
The innovation of an important antitumor alkaloid, CPT has prospered the
interest among plant scientists, phytochemists, biologists, medical doctors, drug
discovery institutions, and pharmaceutical industries. CPT is a highly valued
compound because of its unique therapeutical potential especially in treating various cancers (Rahier et al. 2005; Venditto and Simanek 2010; Kacprzak 2013;
Prakash et al. 2016; Pu et al. 2019). The presence of CPT was firstly revealed from
the Camptotheca acuminata Decne. (Nyssaceae) tree species, available in China.
Soon after that CPT was also found in other plant sources such as Nothapodythes
nimmoniana, Chonemorpha grandiflora, Ophiorrhiza mungos; Ophiorrhiza pumila
and Ophiorrhiza filistipula, etc. Also, some of the entophytic fungi such as
Entrophospora infrequens, Fusarium solani, etc. associated with these plant species
were shown to secrete CPT in low amount (Kaushik et al. 2015; Raveendran 2015;
Prakash et al. 2016; Pu et al. 2019). However, the yield of CPT is very low in all
these natural resources. Globally, the annual production of CPT from plant sources
is only about 600 kg, while the demand is assessed to be roughly 3000 kg per
annum in the world market. Thus, alternative approaches such as biotechnology or
chemosynthesis must be adopted.
Though, this natural compound is effective in exhibiting cytotoxicity, however,
numerous critical issues are presented by CPT including less water solubility,
stability in addition to unpredictable adverse effects in patients such as vomiting,
myelosuppression, diarrhea, etc. (Martino et al. 2016). For overcoming these issues,
several attempts are being made to develop new chemical derivatives, which are
readily soluble through semisynthetic approaches involving the basic structure
modifications (Venditto and Simanek 2010). Over a time, the chemical exploration
of CPT has resulted in few major anticancer chemotherapeutic drugs such as
irinotecan and topotecan. Presently, irinotecan, topotecan, 9-aminocamptothecin,
312
M. K. Swamy et al.