Plant-derived Molecules as Potent Anti-skin Cancer Agents

Abstract: The skin is the major tissue in the body and serves as a barrier against hazardous substances and external attacks. The accumulation of these stressful experiences increases skin cancer risk. In the United States, skin cancer is a serious health issue. There is a lack of medications that can effectively treat skin malignancies. In addition, the existing medicines all come with harmful side effects. Consequently, there is an immediate need for skin cancer treatments that have fewer negative effects. The preventative possible, therapeutic benefits, bioavailability, and structure-activity relationship of these chosen phytochemicals for the treatment of skin cancer are discussed in the review. Many cancer treatments have their origins in the ocean, bacteria, or plants. Cutaneous malignant melanoma has the highest death rate of all skin cancers and is the most aggressive type of the disease. There are several ways to treat malignant melanoma; however, they all have very poor success rates because of the emergence of multi-drug resistance. Phytochemicals are an alternate therapy approach that is both easily accessible and affordable. Plant-derived phytoconstituents offer a promising anti-carcinogenic potential for tumors connected to the skin because of their widespread acceptability, safety, fewer side effects, and signal transmission routes that can be targeted in more than one way. Skin malignancies are a substantial cause of morbidity and death in the modern world, and research on novel phytochemicals for their potential to prevent and treat skin cancers has increased dramatically as a result. The antitumor effect of plant-derived medicinal substances can be attributed to several different mechanisms and routes, including the breakdown of mitochondrial membrane potential. This review aimed to provide a concise overview of naturally occurring chemical compounds that are currently utilized in cancer chemotherapies or have demonstrated potential in avoiding melanoma or skin cancer. The overview encompasses a variety of phytochemicals, such as flavonoids, carotenoids, terpenoids, selected polyphenols, and crude plant extracts.