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World J Exp Med. Sep 20, 2025; 15(3): 104678
Published online Sep 20, 2025. doi: 10.5493/wjem.v15.i3.104678
Flavonoids extract from Vitex negundo inhibit autophagy by targeting PI3K/AKT/mTOR/p70S6K/ULK signaling cascade in cancerous cells
Gunjan Garg, Shweta Chaudhary, Kalpana Khatana, Alok Bharadwaj
Gunjan Garg, Shweta Chaudhary, Kalpana Khatana, School of Biotechnology, Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida 201312, Uttar Pradesh, India
Alok Bharadwaj, Department of Biotechnology, GLA University, Mathura 281406, Uttar Pradesh, India
Author contributions: Garg G contributed to data collection, writing-original draft; Chaudhary S contributed to investigation, validation and review; Khatana K contributed to supervision, project administration; Bharadwaj A contributed to concept making and methodology, investigation, editing and submission.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Alok Bharadwaj, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Biotechnology, GLA University, 17 Km Mile Stone, Mathura-Delhi Highway NH-1, Post-Chaumuhan District, Mathura 281406, Uttar Pradesh, India. alok.bhardwaj@gla.ac.in
Received: January 6, 2025
Revised: February 26, 2025
Accepted: April 9, 2025
Published online: September 20, 2025
Processing time: 227 Days and 21.6 Hours
Abstract

Vitex negundo (V. negundo), an Indian herb with a rich historical background for the handling of various complaints, is a member of the Verbenaceae family and is characterized by small trees with pale gray bark. This herb is widely used and has been recognized in traditional medicine for its pharmacological effects on a wide range of diseases. All sections of the plant, but particularly the leaves, contain a variety of secondary metabolites, including alkaloids, phenols, flavonoids, glycoside iridoids, tannins, and terpenes. The system is included in a number of store-bought herbal preparations and has the potential to function as an efficient bio-committee. Cancer continues to be a major cause of death and morbidity in spite of the intervention. One of the leading causes of death is cancer, and current therapies can have unpleasant side effects. Unhindered reactions, resistance to traditional cancer medications, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and restricted access to tumor tissue are some of the reasons why treatment frequently fails. To reduce side effects, increase chemotherapy sensitivity, and slow the spread of cancer, new approaches are required. Small food molecules have been suggested in numerous research as supplemental therapies for cancer patients. The effectiveness of the flavonoid-rich V. negundo extract in treating cancer was assessed mechanically in this investigation. Total flavonoids have been isolated for qualitative phytochemical investigation using V. negundo ethanolic extract. This article highlights significant developments in this field and explores how flavonoids contribute to the targeted suppression of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase-protein kinase B-mammalian target of rapamycin pathway in different cancer types.

Keywords: Cancer; Flavonoids; Inhibitors; Phosphoinositide 3-kinase-protein kinase B-mammalian target of rapamycin; Vitex negundo

Core Tip: Vitex negundo (V. negundo) is one of the very crucial plants that have wide packages in traditional structures of medicines. As discuss above V. negundo is a very good supply of flavonoids. Flavonoids are recommended as anticancer retailers because of their natural assets, price-effectiveness, and ease of use. Their intrinsic properties, such as restricted bioavailability, rapid metabolism, untargeted transport, and cytotoxicity to normal cells, prevent their full clinical potential from being discovered. The efficient use of a combination of flavonoids has been suggested to boost their anticancer efficacy, taking into account the potential to concurrently impact unique signaling cascades.