Phytochemical analysis of active phenolic compounds in some plants used as traditional folk drugs in cancer and meta-analysis of their chemotherapeutic activities

This study aims to identify chemotherapeutic agents against cancer, which is increasing in prevalence worldwide and has a very high mortality rate. Phenolic compounds, which constitute an important group of active compounds in plants, are the most active antioxidant derivatives and have anticancer effects on different cancer cells as anticancer agents.. Ethnobotanical studies were used to identify the plants included in this study. Accordingly, some plants (Malva neglecta, Nerium oleander, Quercus brantii, Rosa canina, Rubus sanctus, Urtica dioica subsp. dioica, Urtica pilulifera and Vitis vinifera), which were recorded to be used as traditional folk medicine for cancer, were phytochemically analyzed for 24 phenolic compounds. The data were analyzed by using SPSS 27 and R 4.3.1 statistical programs. Statistically, 15 phenolic compounds were found to be very significant (p<0.01) in the chemical composition of the plants and the effect size (η2) of these compounds was determined. The plants were found to contain 9 major phenolic compounds with potential activity of large effect size (0.14≤η2). The chemotherapeutic activities of these compounds were determined by meta-analysis. The plants were found to have anticancer activity potential on 13 cancer types. The plants showing the highest level of anticancer activity potential on cancer types are as follows: Lung cancer; Q. brantii, U. pilulifera and V. vinifera, Skin cancer; U. pilulifera, Endometrial cancer; U. pilulifera, Glioblastoma Multiforme; Q. brantii, Liver cancer; M. neglecta, U. pilulifera and V. vinifera, Colorectal cancer; Q. brantii, R. canina, U. pilulifera and V. vinifera, Chronic Myeloid Leukemia; N. oleander, Breast cancer; N. oleander, Q. brantii, R. canina and V. vinifera, Bladder cancer; R. canina, Mesothelioma; Q. brantii, Prostate cancer; Q. brantii and U. pilulifera, Cervical cancer; Q. brantii and R. canina, Ovarian cancer; V. vinifera. In addition, R. canina and U. pilulifera were found to be the most phytochemically rich plants with the content of 6 different chemotherapeutic agents at the level of the major phenolic compound on cancer types.