A group of research students, primarily from Bangladesh, have identified compounds in a common plant for treating liver cancer.
The plant, Persicaria hydropiper, locally known as Bishkatali, abundantly grows in the wild in Bangladesh and in many other parts of the Indian subcontinent.
Bishkatali is an age-old pest repellent used by the peasant community in Bengal to preserve crops.
A report on the study published recently in the 鈥楽cientific Reports鈥� journal, a concern of the US-based Nature Publishing Group, said that the group of the young scientists isolated two compounds from Bishkatali that effectively arrested the growth of a deadliest type of liver cancer.
The research group comprised students from North South University, Jahangirnagar University and Primeasia University in Bangladesh and Katwa College in India.
Sk Faisal Ahmed, the lead researcher who was a biotechnology student at North South University at the time of the research, said that their research combined advanced computational methods to explore new therapeutic approaches against hepatocellular carcinoma, one of the most common and lethal types of liver cancer.
The group conducted the research at Dawnilab, Dawn of Bioinformatics Limited Bangladesh, in Dhaka, which Faisal Ahmed had founded while he was a student, and now he is its lead scientist and chief executive officer.
According to the findings of the research, two plant-derived compounds, 6-hydroxyluteolin and isorhamnetin, can effectively bind to and inhibit the VEGFR-2 protein, which is a receptor involved in tumour angiogenesis, the process through which cancers form new blood vessels to sustain growth.
They have also identified a particular human microRNA known as 鈥榟sa-miR-17-3p鈥� which may suppress the gene responsible for producing VEGFR-2.
Together, these natural molecules could potentially halt cancer cell proliferation by cutting off the tumour鈥檚 blood supply, according to the research findings.
Faisal Ahmed said that the research demonstrated the dual potential of combining gene-silencing mechanisms and natural compounds for cancer therapy.
鈥極ur computational findings suggest that Persicaria hydropiper, a plant commonly found in Bangladesh, may serve as a valuable source for developing safer, plant-based anti-cancer drugs,鈥� he told 抖阴精品 recently.
The team reported that both compounds showed favourable safety and stability profiles in simulation studies, outperforming the currently used anti-cancer drug Sunitinib.
The compounds were also predicted to have low toxicity and better tolerance, indicating possible advantages for future drug development.
The researchers, however, cautioned that their findings were based on in-silico (computer-simulated) analyses and must be validated through laboratory and clinical studies.
鈥楩urther in vitro and in vivo testing will be essential to confirm these anti-cancer effects,鈥� the paper concluded.
Hepatocellular carcinoma accounts for more than 80 per cent of liver cancer cases worldwide and has limited treatment options, especially in developing countries.
The discovery could open new possibilities for low-cost, plant-based therapeutic development in Bangladesh鈥檚 biomedical research sector, said Faisal.
The other researchers of the study are Sunbin Samin, Amalesh Mondal, Md Fahim Islam, Hafiza Akter Laboni, Azmin Alam Ela and Tithi Mondal.
鈥楽cientific Reports鈥� journal published the report on the findings on October 30, 2025.