INTRODUCTION

Cancer is a major public health burden in both developed and developing countries. It
was estimated that there were 10.9 million new cases, 6.7 million deaths, and 24.6
million per-sons living with cancer around the world in 2002. Cancer is the second
leading cause of death in the United States, where one in four deaths is due to cancer.
Plants have long been used in the treatment of cancer. The National Cancer Institute
collected about 35,000 plant samples from 20 countries and has screened around
114,000 extracts for anticancer activity. Of the 92 anticancer drugs commercially
available prior to 1983 in the US and among worldwide approved anticancer drugs
between 1983 and 1994, 60% are of natural origin. [1]
Growth of solid tumours in both the primary and metastatic sites depends on
angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels, to nourish the tumour. In
pioneering work by Folkman, cancer cells implanted in vascular sites in animals grew
rapidly and formed large tumours. In contrast, cells implanted in vascular sites were
unable to form tumour masses 1 to 2 mm in size. This work led Folkman to
hypothesize that angiogenesis was obligatory for tumour growth. [2]
It is generally accepted today that tumour growth is angiogenesis-dependent and that
every

increment of tumour growth requires an increment of vascular growth.

Tumours lacking angiogenesis remain dormant indefinitely and rapid logarithmic

growth follows the acquisition of blood supply. The tumour angiogenic switch seems
to be activated when the balance of angiogenic inhibitors to stimulators is shifted
toward a proangiogenic milieu. [3]
Tumour angiogenesis has become an intensely investigated area over the last decade
because it is an essential component of the growth and spread of cancer and is
therefore potentially an important therapeutic target. [4]

Dept Of Pharmacology, KCP,Banglore-64

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INTRODUCTION
Now-a-days, Anti-angiogenic therapy is the most investigated field in anti-cancer
research. Angiogenesis process is very important for tumour growth and in addition
for tumour metastasis. Understanding the basic mechanisms and influencing factors
will therefore help in controlling and/or inhibiting Angiogenesis. Different antiangiogenic agents attack different steps in the process by intervening with the
function and expression of various angiogenic molecules. Combination of antiangiogenic agents together, and/or with other types of therapies, such as
chemotherapy, have shown promising results presenting this way a new window to
look at the possibilities for cancer cure accomplishment.
The use of medicinal plants in therapeutics or as dietary supplements goes back beyond recorded history, but has increased substantially in the last decades. The
popularity of herbal medicines is connected with their easy access, therapeutic
efficacy, relatively low cost, and assumed absence of toxic side effects. Many natural
products tend to have high level of antioxidant property, a key feature that is useful in
angiogenesis inhibition. The success of antiangiogenic therapy for cancer treatment
has led to an explosion in the research for antiangiogenic agents. Traditional herbal
medicine has long been recognized as a potential source for discovering such agents.
Indeed, many herbs and phytochemicals have been shown to have antiangiogenic
activities both invitro and invivo. [5]
Momordica charantia, family of Cucurbitaceae, is having invivo antitumour activity
[6]

, antioxidant activity. Momordica Cymbalaria which belongs to the same family

was proven for its antioxidant activity

[7]

, and it is not yet screened for its

antiangiogenic activity. Therefore the present study was initiated with the objective of
investigating whether the saponins of

Momordica Cymbalaria is having

antiangiogenic property or not.

Dept Of Pharmacology, KCP,Banglore-64

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