A Review on Antineoplastic Activity of Aegle Marmelos

Aegle marmelos (L. ) commonly known as Bael belonging to the family Rutaceae, has been broadly used in indigenous systems of Indian medicine due to its numerous tremendous therapeutic properties. A. marmelos is native to North India, but widely found throughout the Indian Peninsula and in Burma, Ceylon, Thailand, Bangladesh, and Indo-China. It is related to the Hindu Religious and believed that the bael fruit is the symbol of lord Shiva. The leaf of Aegle marmelos is top of the demand in the season of Sawan. The bael tree is mostly seen near the temple and other Hindu homes. It is a medium to large sized deciduous glabrous, armed tree with the axillary and globular fruits, short flower and 2.5 cm long alternate trifoliate leaves,. The usefulness of Aegle marmelos is reference in the Indian ancient system of medicine, every part of the bael tree such as leaf, flower, root, bark, fruits, seed and even its latex are also important in several traditional system of medicine. Phytochemicals from A. marmelos such as lupeol, eugenol, citral, cineole and d-limonene possess antineoplastic effects.1-hydroxy-5, 7-dimethoxy-2-naphthalenecarboxaldehyde (Marmelin) present in A. marmelos and it inhibiting the growth of epithelial cancer cells (HEp-2, alveolar epithelial carcinoma cells and HCT-116 colon), but not normal cells (mouse embryo fibroblasts).1-hydroxy-5, 7-dimethoxy-2-naphthalenecarboxaldehyde induced TNF-, TNFR1, and TRADD mRNA and protein expression, G1 cell cycle arrest, and mediated apoptosis through activated caspase-3, which was abrogated when pretreated with caspase-3 inhibitors.