Kohima, April 13: A multi-institute study led by Nagaland University has identified traditional herbal formulation used by the Konyak tribe of Nagaland for its anti-cancer potential, providing valuable scientific insight into indigenous medicinal practices.
The research team also had collaborators from Berhampur University and Saveetha Medical College.
While traditional medicinal systems are widely practiced across indigenous communities, the researchers found that there has been limited scientific effort to understand the mechanisms through which such remedies exert their therapeutic effects.
Traditional herbs are widely used. However, few studies have been attempted to understand their mechanism of action or validate their effectiveness using modern scientific tools. The present study attempts to bridge this gap by combining traditional knowledge with modern analytical and computational approaches.
The multi-institute research team investigated a five-plant polyherbal formulation and found that its bioactive compounds can effectively target VEGFR2, a key protein responsible for tumour blood vessel growth.
The findings were published in the Microchemical Journal, a peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes research on analytical methods and techniques for detecting and measuring chemical substances at micro and trace levels.
The paper was co-authored by Longnyu M. Konyak, Giridharan Bupesh, Parthasarathy Sudharsan, Nokenketla Jamir, Sidhartha Saikia from the department of forestry, Nagaland University, along with collaborators from Berhampur University and Saveetha Medical College.
Emphasising the uniqueness of the study, G. Bupesh, assistant professor (natural products and tribal health research), department of forestry, Nagaland University, said, “This is the first time a specific five-plant formulation used by the Konyak tribal healers has been scientifically analysed and validated using advanced computational methods. Using advanced techniques such as GC-MS analysis and molecular simulations, we identified compounds with strong anti-cancer potential, showing performance comparable to existing drugs while indicating lower toxicity.”
The study further revealed that these compounds demonstrated stable interactions and favourable safety profiles, indicating their potential as natural anti-angiogenic agents that could inhibit tumour growth.
Importantly, the research also showed that these natural compounds selectively target VEGFR2 over similar proteins, which could help reduce side effects in future therapeutic applications.
The study also highlighted that most identified compounds showed low toxicity and acceptable pharmacokinetic properties, making them promising candidates for further drug development.
According to the researchers, the findings not only validate indigenous knowledge systems but also open up new pathways for cost-effective and nature-based drug discovery.
