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Antioxidant Activity of Phytochemicals in Cancer

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Handbook of Oxidative Stress in Cancer: Therapeutic Aspects

Abstract

Antioxidants play a critical role in maintaining cellular redox homeostasis. When activated, antioxidants modulate several signaling pathways which affects the survival and proliferation of the cells. Although the antioxidant and pro-oxidant role of a phytochemical compound in cancer progression is debatable, identifying the molecular mechanism of a particular compound provides information of its therapeutic value. Since phytochemicals act bi-directionally by either increasing or decreasing oxidative stress, identifying the dose and molecular mechanism is important in cancer. Phytochemicals have been studied extensively using in vitro and in vivo methods for their anti-cancer activity. The availability of extensive literature on mode of action combined with a desired safety profile makes phytochemicals an ideal class to be developed as anti-cancer agents. Due to the ease of inculcating phytochemicals in regular diet, more focus has been towards preventive effects of phytochemicals in cancer and many studies on phytochemicals with antioxidant activity have shown plausible outcomes. In this chapter, we provide a brief overview of the intracellular redox system and role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cancer, and further delve into the antioxidant mechanisms of phytochemicals.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Immunotherapeutics and Biotechnology, and Center for Tumor immunology and Targeted Cancer Therapy, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Abilene, TX, USA

    Shreyas R. Gaikwad & Sanjay K. Srivastava

Authors
  1. Shreyas R. Gaikwad
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  2. Sanjay K. Srivastava
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sanjay K. Srivastava .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept Biochem & Biophysics, C-Block, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, West Bengal, India

    Sajal Chakraborti

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, General Hospital Minamiseiko Hospital, Nagoya, Japan

    Takehiko Takayanagi

  2. Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA

    Prakash Radhakrishnan

  3. Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Bezmialem Vakif University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Ayse Günes-Bayir

  4. Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Rockford, Illinois, USA

    Gnanasekar Munirathinam

  5. Dean, Research, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, Punjab, India

    Anjana Munsi

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Gaikwad, S.R., Srivastava, S.K. (2022). Antioxidant Activity of Phytochemicals in Cancer. In: Chakraborti, S. (eds) Handbook of Oxidative Stress in Cancer: Therapeutic Aspects. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-1247-3_6-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-1247-3_6-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-16-1247-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-16-1247-3

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