Indigenous plant study opens new path in cancer treatment research

A plant long used in traditional medicine is now at the centre of research that could shape future cancer treatment options in South Africa and beyond. Researchers at the North-West University (NWU) are investigating the anti-cancer potential ofLessertia frutescens, commonly known as cancer bush, after laboratory studies showed activity against several forms of cancer, including drug-resistant small cell lung cancer and colorectal cancer. According to Prof Chrisna Gouws, a research professor in the Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences in the Faculty of Health Sciences, the research team tested extracts from the indigenous plant on cultured human cancer cells and more advanced laboratory-grown “mini-tumours” known as spheroids.

“Lessertia frutescenshas shown significant anti-cancer activity against several different cancer types in our research,” she says. has shown significant anti-cancer activity against several different cancer types in our research,” she says. She says the findings became more important when the team observed activity in cancers that no longer respond to conventional treatment.

“What is very interesting and exciting is the apparent activity in drug-resistant cancers such as resistant small cell lung cancer, where known chemotherapies have limited to no activity,” Prof Gouws says. “This provides us with new avenues to investigate for treatment options to treat cancers currently considered incurable.” The research team said another factor attracting attention is the plant’s longstanding use in traditional medicine and its safety profile.