Anticancer drug screening of natural products
Agustina Setiawati, Damiana Sapta Candrasari, F.D. Erika Setyajati, Vincentia Krisnina Prasetyo, Dewi Setyaningsih, Yustina Sri Hartini
Abstract
Natural products include several diverse compounds that have been found to be effective against cancer. Discovering anticancer compounds in nature is a multistep and complex process that requires pre-clinical and clinical studies. Only a few of the available natural products are used to treat cancer since most of them have very high complexity and low bioavailability. Therefore, the process of anticancer drug discovery requires a straightforward and effective method to assess anticancer activity using in vitro assays. This review summarizes various cell-based assays and techniques used to measure cell viability, migration, and apoptosis, focusing in particular on the principles, mechanisms, advantages, and disadvantages of each assay to provide a preliminary platform for cancer drug discovery.