Antineoplastic Effects of Petiveria alliacea: A Systematic Review Protocol

Abstract

Petiveria alliacea L. (Phytolaccaceae), commonly known as “Anamú” or “Guinea Hen Weed,” is a medicinal plant traditionally used in herbal medicine across Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa. Preclinical investigations have attributed cytotoxic, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, and proapoptotic properties to its bioactive compounds, indicating potential antineoplastic activity. However, available evidence remains fragmented across different experimental models, cancer types, plant preparations, and study designs, and no systematic synthesis of the antineoplastic evidence base has been published to date. This protocol describes the methodology for a systematic review aiming at evaluating the antineoplastic effects of Petiveria alliacea in in vitro cell models, in vivo animal studies, and clinical trials involving cancer patients. Searches will be conducted in ten electronic databases (including MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, LILACS, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, SciELO, Epistemonikos, ClinicalTrials.gov, and EudraCT) in English, Spanish, or Portuguese, covering studies published from January 2000 onwards. Eligible studies will include controlled in vitro, in vivo, and clinical investigations reporting antineoplastic outcomes. Study selection will be performed independently by two reviewers using Rayyan. Risk of bias will be assessed using validated tools for preclinical research. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses are planned by tumor type, extract type, plant part, and study model. This protocol was registered in PROSPERO on 26 March 2026 (registration number: CRD420251108791).