An In Vitro Evaluation of the Molecular Mechanisms of Action of Medical Plants from the Lamiaceae Family as Effective Sources of Active Compounds against Human Cancer Cell Lines

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Plants have been used in folk medicine for thousands of years. The Lamiaceae family is one of the largest families of flowering plants and includes a wide variety of species with biological and medical uses. They are mainly herbs and shrubs with an aromatic scent and rich in valuable compounds of great value in medicine. The article focuses on the assessment of the anticancer properties of extracts, essential oils, and pure compounds derived from various species of the Lamiaceae family and their potential molecular mechanisms of action in in vitro studies against the four most common types of cancer in women and men: breast, lung, prostate, and colon. ABSTRACT: It is predicted that 1.8 million new cancer cases will be diagnosed worldwide in 2020; of these, the incidence of lung, colon, breast, and prostate cancers will be 22%, 9%, 7%, and 5%, respectively according to the National Cancer Institute. As the global medical cost of cancer in 2020 will exceed about $150 billion, new approaches and novel alternative chemoprevention molecules are needed. Research indicates that the plants of the Lamiaceae family may offer such potential. The present study reviews selected species from the Lamiaceae and their active compounds that may have the potential to inhibit the growth of lung, breast, prostate, and colon cancer cells; it examines the effects of whole extracts, individual compounds, and essential oils, and it discusses their underlying molecular mechanisms of action. The studied members of the Lamiaceae are sources of crucial phytochemicals that may be important modulators of cancer-related molecular targets and can be used as effective factors to support anti-tumor treatment.