Plukenetia volubilis Linneo or Sacha Inchi (SI), a traditional natural remedy indigenous to Peru and Brazil, has garnered global attention due to its exceptional nutritional composition. Its protective effects against various non-communicable diseases, notably cardiovascular disease (CVD), have become a subject of interest in recent research. This comprehensive review summarizes the existing evidence from 15 relevant articles concerning the impact of SI on common CVD risk factors, including dyslipidemia, obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. The relevant articles were derived from comprehensive searches on PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science using predefined criteria and keywords related to the topic. Overall, SI demonstrated positive effects in attenuating dyslipidemia, obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. The multifaceted mechanisms responsible for the protective effects of SI against these CVD risk factors are primarily attributed to its antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. While preclinical studies dominate the current scientific literature on SI, there are limited clinical trials to corroborate these findings. Therefore, future well-designed, large-scale randomized clinical trials are highly recommended to establish the efficacy of SI and determine its optimal dosage, potential drug and food interactions, and practical integration into preventive strategies and dietary interventions for the high-risk populations.
Combination therapy emerges as a fundamental scheme in cancer. Many targeted therapeutic agents are developed to be used with chemotherapy or radiation therapy to enhance drug efficacy and reduce toxicity effects. ABT-263, known as navitoclax, mimics the BH3-only proteins of the BCL-2 family and has a high affinity towards pro-survival BCL-2 family proteins (i.e., BCL-XL, BCL-2, BCL-W) to induce cell apoptosis effectively. A single navitoclax action potently ameliorates several tumor progressions, including blood and bone marrow cancer, as well as small cell lung carcinoma. Not only that, but navitoclax alone also therapeutically affects fibrotic disease. Nevertheless, outcomes from the clinical trial of a single navitoclax agent in patients with advanced and relapsed small cell lung cancer demonstrated a limited anti-cancer activity. This brings accumulating evidence of navitoclax to be used concomitantly with other chemotherapeutic agents in several solid and non-solid tumors that are therapeutically benefiting from navitoclax treatment in preclinical studies. Initially, we justify the anti-cancer role of navitoclax in combination therapy. Then, we evaluate the current evidence of navitoclax in combination with the chemotherapeutic agents comprehensively to indicate the primary regulator of this combination strategy in order to produce a therapeutic effect.