摘要 : Cancer is one of the most fatal diseases causing deaths of millions of people worldwide. Since actual cancer treatments are rarely efficient and often toxic, there is a demand for innocuous and more effective anticancer drugs. For... 展开 Cancer is one of the most fatal diseases causing deaths of millions of people worldwide. Since actual cancer treatments are rarely efficient and often toxic, there is a demand for innocuous and more effective anticancer drugs. For instance, metal/metal oxide nanoparticles allow controlled drug release and drug delivery to specific targets. In particular, medicinal plant-based metal nanoparticles appear as safer and more effective. Here, we present the synthesis of metal nanoparticles using medicinal plant extracts, and the toxicity of these nanoparticles for cancerous cells. The anticancer effect is explained by several possible mechanisms such as generation of reactive oxygen species, cell cycle arrest, antioxidant property, apoptosis and autophagy. We present plant compounds that induce cytotoxicity against cancerous cells, and assays for the measurement of cell toxicity. 收起