Plants as useful agents for angiogenesis and tumor growth prevention

Introduction: Angiogenesis, the process of new blood vessel formation from pre-existing vessels, has important physiological roles in embryonic development, female reproduction cycle, and wound healing. It is also crucial for pathological processes in several diseases especially tumor growth and metastasis. Thereby, inhibition of angiogenesis as an addition to the conventional therapies such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy has attracted the attention of scientists. Results: Different studies have shown that botanical derivatives specifically antagonize new vessel formation in tumors without significant toxicity to normal tissues and without major adverse reactions. Furthermore, many studies have revealed that the active ingredients of these natural products inhibit tumor cell proliferation through interference with other physiological pathways such as intracellular signaling pathways. A number of studies have also demonstrated that many traditional foods especially plant derived foods have preventive potential against around one third of cancers. Therefore, plant rich diet can inhibit the progression of many chronic diseases such as malignant solid tumors which are related to angiogenesis.