A common chemical characteristic of plant-derived anticancer compounds

For an efficient design of new drugs the understanding of the connection between the molecular structure of the compound and the mechanism of its biological action is essential. It is natural to expect that a common still undiscovered chemical feature might exist among anticancer drugs. An extensive search was undertaken in this book to identify common chemical features among 603 plant natural compounds proven to have anticancer activity. The chemical behavior of the functional groups they posses is discussed and a common functional feature is proposed. The book could be used by everybody interested on finding information on natural antineoplastic medicines. The reader can easily find in the digital literature the names of the plant species containing such useful natural products. Researchers interested on a comprehensive way of addressing the issue of cancer treatment would find the book particularly informative and stimulating.