Abstract: Plant extracts are kinds of important anticancer drugs. Anticancer drugs research has focused on several important plant extracts such as resveratrol, ricin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, oridonin, juglone,quercetin, matrine, nordihydroguaiaretic acid. In vitro and in vivo studies have shown that their antitumor mechanisms including induction of apoptosis, cytotoxicity, induced redifferentiation, antiangiogesis, antiinvasion and antimetastasis. Plant extracts have multilink and multitarget. Part of them have been used in preclinical studies. Indepth study of the antitumor mechanisms of plant extracts on cancer treatment is important, and the full mechanism needs further study.

Key words: Plant extracts, Antineoplastic agents, phytogenic, Apoptosis