anticancer-potential
Anticancer potential refers to the capacity of plant-derived compounds—such as alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenes, and phenolics—to inhibit tumor cell growth, induce apoptosis, or disrupt cancer cell signaling pathways. Plants have long served as a primary source of anticancer therapeutics, and ongoing research into their secondary metabolites continues to yield promising leads for drug development. Understanding which species produce bioactive compounds, and under what conditions, is a central focus of medicinal plant science and ethnobotany.
open_in_new WikipediaPubMed · 2026-04-21
Researchers used leaf extract from the Peruvian pepper tree to create tiny selenium particles that effectively kill drug-resistant staph bacteria and show promise against cancer cells — all without harsh chemicals.
Selenium nanoparticles (50 nm) made from Peruvian pepper tree extract inhibited all 10 drug-resistant staph (MRSA) strains tested, with effective doses of 8–12 μg/mL
Combining the nanoparticles with three common antibiotics produced strong synergy (FICI ≤ 0.5), dramatically lowering the antibiotic doses needed to kill bacteria
The nanoparticles selectively killed cancer cells with minimal toxicity to normal cells, and lab tests confirmed they triggered programmed cell death (apoptosis) in cancer lines
