In Vitro Anti-Cancer and Anti-Angiogenic Activity of Essential Oils Extracts from Agarwood (Aquilaria crassna)

Cancer is a complex multifaceted group of more than 100 types of diseases characterized by uncontrolled cell growth, local tissue invasion and metastasis. Despite much advancement in understanding and treating cancer in the recent decades, it has remained a rampant killer across the globe. According to recent statistics, cancer accounts for about 23% of all disease-related deaths in the USA. It is the second most common cause of death after heart disease. However, while deaths due to heart disease decreased steeply in both older and younger populations in the USA from 1975 through 2002, no appreciable decline in cancer-caused deaths has been observed so far [1]. Increasing complexity and treatment-associated toxicity with nonspecific target of chemotherapy have aggravated the risk of side effects among the cancer patients [2]. Thus, new agents that are safe, available and effective are urgently needed. Recently, there is a great interest in angiogenesis modulators as therapeutics of several angiogenesis related disorders. In this context, several natural products that inhibit angiogenesis also demonstrate anticancer activities. The plants that are traditionally used for anticancer treatment often have anti-angiogenic properties through multiple interdependent processes these include Artemisia annua (Chinese wormwood), Viscum album (European mistletoe), Curcuma longa (curcumin), Scutellaria baicalensis (Chinese skullcap), resveratrol and proanthocyanidin (grape seed extract), Magnolia officinalis (Chinese magnolia tree), Camellia sinensis (green tea), Ginkgo biloba, quercetin, Poria cocos, Zingiber officinalis (ginger), Panax ginseng, Rabdosia rubescens hora (Rabdosia), and Chinese destagnation herbs [3,4].