Biological effects of four frequently used medicinal plants of Lamiaceae.

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death characterized by uncontrolled growth and spread of cancer cells. There are several hundred thousands of new cases of cancer worldwide. Clinical oncology is still challenged by toxicity and side effects of multimodal therapy strategies in which it is associated with poor prognosis for patients. There is an urgent necessity to develop novel therapy strategies and to utilize preventive potential of natural compounds. As the majority of anticancer drugs are of natural origin, natural products represent a valuable source for the identification and development of novel treatment options and chemopreventive mechanisms for cancer. This review is focused on the summary of published knowledges on the antioxidant and potential chemopreventive effects of biologically active substances present in the extracts of four plants of the family Lamiaceae (sage, thyme, rosemary and lavander) in different animal and in vitro systems. It is assumed that the chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic potential of natural compounds is the result of a combined action of several mechanisms.