Nerium odorum anticancer properties have been studied. This is an evergreen ornamental shrub of the Apocyanaceae family. It is commonly planted in the drier, warmer parts of the world. It is widely cultivated in South Asia and the Mediterranean. The plant exudes a white, sticky sap when its xerophytic leaves are plucked or its stem is injured. The plant can grow to a height of up to 6 meters. The leaves are narrowly lanceolate, and the flowers are red and pink in the wild, with cultivars bearing cream, white, or purple flowers. Some of the cultivars bear scented flowers.
The plant is highly toxic. It is said that Alexander lost men during his military campaigns when they ate meat skewered over a fire made from Nerium twigs. The poisonous property is attributed to cardiac glycosides, mainly oleandrin. On ingestion, it can cause nausea, cardiac arrhythmias (erratic heartbeat), low blood pressure, and even death. The leaves show insecticidal activity against certain pests and can be used as an insecticide. Traditionally, the leaves are used to treat heart diseases, and the roots are used to treat cancer and ulcers.
Select studies on Nerium odorum anticancer properties
Studies using plant extracts have demonstrated their effectiveness against certain types of cancer, including leukemia. Dr. Huseyin Ziya Ozel, a Turkish physician, experimented with plant extracts in 1966, treating incurable cancer patients according to traditional folk remedies. He founded Ozelle Pharmaceuticals and sold the preparation under the trademark Anvirzel (Turan et al., 2006). Phase 1 trials with this formulation have been conducted (Mekhail et al., 2001).
Both Anvirzel and Oleandrin were found to kill human cancer cells, with Oleandrin exhibiting a more effective response than Anvirzel (Pathak et al., 2000). Cardenolide molecules isolated from plant extracts were shown to possess anticancer properties (Rashan et al., 2011).
Some compounds from Nerium odorum extracts exhibited anticancer properties against three human cancerous cell lines (Zhao et al., 2007; Bai et al., 2011). About 109 cardenolide molecules have been identified, of which a quarter have been shown to possess anticancer properties (Wen et al., 2016).
Anti-cancer patents
Several patent claims related to formulations prepared from the extract of Nerium oleander (not Nerium odorum) have been granted.
US Patent 20130209579A1 is a therapeutic combination comprising a platinum-based anticancer agent (cisplatin) and an extract from the Nerium species (Nerium oleander), which is claimed to be effective against prostate cancer, melanoma, pancreatic cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, and colorectal cancer. The inventors are Dennis R. Knocke, Joseph B. Nester, and Joannis Papasotiriou.
Cisplatin is used in chemotherapy, but toxicity remains a serious problem. Further, some tumors show resistance to this molecule.
Another pharmaceutical composition containing sterile extracts of Nerium for the treatment of cancer and AIDS has been patented (US 6565897 B2). The inventors are Ulagaraj Selvaraja, Chandra U. Singh, and Huseyin Z. Ozel.
However, another formulation of digitalis glycoside from Nerium spp. has been patented (US 20040082521A); the Inventor, Chandra Singh, claims it effectively reduces cancer growth and the incidence of metastasis.
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