Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Science and Biotechnology

Aloe has long been used in folk medicine for its curative and therapeutic properties, and two main classes of active compounds have been identified, namely anthraquinones and some characteristic β-polysaccharides. Among anthraquinones, aloe-emodin is reported to show the most interesting anticancer properties. This compound has been successfully tested against neuroectodermal cancer, leukemia, Merkel cell carcinoma and lung squamous cell carcinoma. Besides the effect on antioxidant enzymes is documented, several authors have identified the induction of cell apoptosis as the main mechanism through which aloe-emodin exerts its cytotoxic activity. In detail, the induction of apoptosis by aloe-emodin was related to the activation of caspases cleaves, and then activating downstream caspases.