Chemical composition, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anticancer activities of Mahonia napaulensis DC. bark from Nepal.

Background: Cancer is one of the major health problems worldwide and medicinal plants constitute a common alternative for cancer treatment having no or fewer side effects. This study aimed to assess total phenolic (TPC) and flavonoid (TFC) contents, antioxidant, biological activities (especially antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer), and chemical composition of methanol extract of M. napaulensis DC.

Singlet Oxygen, Photodynamic Therapy, and Mechanisms of Cancer Cell Death.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) can be developed into an important arsenal against cancer; it is a minimally invasive therapy, which is used in the treatment or/and palliation of a variety of cancers and benign diseases. The removal of cancerous tissue is achieved with the use of photosensitizer and a light source, which excites the photosensitizer. This excitation causes the photosensitizer to generate singlet oxygen and other reactive oxygen species.