Lessertia fruscens (Photo: Pexels)
Lessertia frutescensalso known as kankerbos, is under the microscope at the North-West University (NWU) where research into this plant’s possible future use in cancer treatment is being investigated.
Researchers have found that the plant, which is already used in medicine, may help fight several types of cancer, including treatment-resistant small-cell lung cancer and colorectal cancer.
Prof. Chrisna Gouws, professor in research at the Center of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences at the NWU’s Faculty of Health Sciences, says extracts from cancer bush have been tested on cultured human cancer cells and more advanced laboratory-grown tumors known as spheroids.
Gouws says the importance of the research project deepened after the research team discovered that cancer bush shows a reaction against cancers that no longer respond to conventional treatment.
“This offers us new possibilities to investigate treatment options for cancers that are currently considered incurable,” says Gouws.
“A further factor that attracted the research team’s attention is the plant’s long-standing use in traditional medicine. Therefore, it is considered non-toxic and safe for use. In addition, the cancer bush’s anti-cancer activities occur without the harmful side effects usually caused by standard chemotherapy.”
Another thing that attracts researchers’ attention is the fact that the plant may be able to support other systems in the body during treatment.
“Lessertia frutescens has known strengthening effects on the digestive and immune systems, and it can also have mood-enhancing properties,” she says.
“It may therefore not only target the cancer, but at the same time have a positive effect on the patient as a whole.”
The team is currently studying the plant’s phytochemicals to identify the molecules responsible for the anticancer activity and to understand how it works.
“Although many molecules have already been identified and shown to contribute to the plant’s anti-cancer activity, the mechanism of action remains largely unclear,” says Gouws.
“Therefore we are now digging deeper to try to understand how and why this plant works.”
The next phase of the study will include tests on animals later this year to confirm its safety and effectiveness, before future clinical trials can be considered.
At the same time, the researchers are developing a complementary medicinal product that will possibly be available in pharmacies by 2027.
Gouws says the project may also create economic opportunities.
“Chemotherapy can be very expensive and is often inaccessible in rural areas. A new plant-based treatment will be much more cost-effective and possibly also more accessible, because it can be produced locally,” says Gouws.
“An increase in the demand for the plant material will also create economic opportunities through farming.”
Gouws has a PhD degree in biochemistry and has more than 15 years of experience in the use of cell culture-based models for research into human health and disease. This includes the development of new, complex in vitro models for applications in drug research, including traditional medicinal drugs and plant materials for the treatment of cancer.