Mitosis Inhibitors and Medicinal Plants: Neurotoxicity and Neuroprotection

Cancer is one of the devastating diseases worldwide, causing desperate outcomes and high mortality rates. Despite undeniable improvements in cancer treatment, many patients with malignancies still suffer from adverse drug reactions, among which peripheral neurotoxicity holds great importance. Peripheral neuropathy as a representation of peripheral neurotoxicity is a usual complication of chemotherapy, reducing the life quality of individuals since it can adversely induce sensory and motor dysfunctions influencing patients’ life. Mitosis inhibitors are substantially administered drugs during chemotherapy. However, these drugs may induce the occurrence of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). Efficient therapy with fewer side effects specifically focusing on the eradication of malignant cells without affecting healthy cells adversely constitutes today’s approach for chemotherapy. Therefore, to target the discovery of functional chemotherapeutics with minimized adverse effects is a rational approach. In this context, medicinal plants and phytochemicals may come into the focus to avoid or treat the complications of peripheral neurotoxicity, if combined with standard chemotherapy regimens, or as complementary and alternative therapy interventions. In the present chapter, we review the factors involved in the pathogenesis of CIPN, neurotoxic mitosis inhibitors, and natural products as neuroprotective and/or neuropreventive agents. Future perspectives will be further manifested for the prevention or treatment of CIPN occurrence.