Sanguinaria canadensis L., commonly known as bloodroot,
red puccoon, and redroot, is an indigenous plant of the central
and eastern parts of the United States and is a member of the
Papaveraceae (poppy family) (Croaker, et al. 2016). This 15-30
cm tall flowering herbaceous perennial flourishes in a woody
environment where there is well drained soil with a pH of 5-7 or
higher (Croaker, et al. 2016). Bloodroot is a hermaphroditic
plant, which allows the plant to self-pollinate or
cross-pollinate, and flowers for a few days from March until
May, and fruits in June (Croaker, et al. 2016).
Extracts from bloodroot are used in both traditional and
contemporary herbal medicine for its anti-bacterial,
anti-inflammatory, tumoricidal, and immunomodulatory properties
(Perera, et al. 2014). Sanguinarine is a benzophenanthride
alkaloid and is one of the many active ingredients derived from
the rhizome of Sanguinaria canadensis L. (Wang, et al.
2017).
S. canadensis extracts have been demonstrated to exhibit
anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-tumor, and anti-microbial
properties; and provides neuroprotection. Wang et al.
(2017) conducted a study of the neuroprotective effects of
sanguinarine following cerebral ischemia in rats. The
study found that rats pretreated with sanguinarine delayed
neuronal death in the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO)
model. Thus, sanguinarine was neuroprotective in transient
cerebral ischemia in rats (Wang, et al. 2017).
Based on the antimicrobial properties of sanguinarine, a study
was done to determine if it could be a possible treatment for
schistosomiasis (Zhang, et al. 2013). The study found that
sanguinarine along with plumbagin had significant potential of
being an antischistosomal chemotherapy. Having a
concentration of 10 μM (equivalent to 1.88 μg/ml for plumbagin
and 3.68 μg/ml for sanguinarine) of both compounds resulted in a
100% mortality rate of the snail-borne parasites within 48 hours
(Zhang, et al. 2013).
Sanguinarine shows promise of being a treatment for several
cancers, including pancreatic, lung, and prostate. A study of
molecular signatures of sanguinarine in human pancreatic cancer
cells resulted in a marked cleavage of Poly ADP (Adenosine
Diphosphate)-Ribose Polymerase (PARP) and Caspase 7, which are
indicative of apoptosis induction. Further, sanguinarine induces
apoptosis using Annexin V/Propidium Iodide (PI) binding assay
(Singh, et al. 2015). Sanguinarine also proved to be a promising
treatment for lung cancer because it represses the vascular
endothelial growth factor induced tube formation of human micro
vascular endothelial cells as well as the migration of human
lung cancer cells (Xu, et al. 2013). Administering sanguinarine
beginning 3 days after ectopic implementation of human prostate
cancer cells reduced both the volume and the weight of the tumor
(Sun, et al. 2010).
Although sanguinarine shows promise for treating multiple cancers ranging from skin cancers to pancreatic, whether it is a possible treatment for gastric cancer remains poorly known. A study to identify the effects of sanguinarine on gastric cancer found that it exerted anticancer effects by inhibiting cell proliferation and invasion (Zhang, et al. 2017). It also induced cell apoptosis in a dose dependent manner and provided the therapeutic strategy for the gastric cancer treatment. However, Zhang’s (2017) study had many deficiencies and further research in animal studies has to be completed in order to fully understand the effects of sanguinarine as a cancer treatment.
Overall the red latex extracted from S. canadensis
containing sanguinarine has been proven to be beneficial for a
number of years and continues to express value in the medicinal
field with its therapeutic properties known for aiding in pain
and fever relief (Wang, et al. 2012), cancer treatments, as well
as being an anti-inflammatory (Gaziano, et al. 2016). A
study suggested that sanguinarine has protective effects on
teeth as well as alveolar bone health (Haowei, et al. 2013).
Although bloodroot shows promising medicinal qualities, it does
have some drawbacks such as damaging healthy skin leading to
further treatment being needed when applied as black salve (Hou,
et al. 2015). However, even with the possible dangers of
Sanguinarine extract being toxic, it provides many benefits that
outweigh the risks. If more research is conducted and the
proper dosage is followed, bloodroot may prove to be a promising
treatment for multiple cancers and parasites such as
schistosomiasis.
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