Anticancer Activity of Flavonoids

Abstract

Flavonoids like the synthetic flavone, flavopiridol; the soy isoflavonoid, genistein; the tea catechin epigallocatechin gallate; or the common dietary flavonol, quercetin, are emerging as prospective anticancer drug candidates and some of them have already entered in clinical trials. A positive correlation between flavonoids-rich diet and lower risk of colon, prostate and breast cancers lead to a question that whether flavonoids mediate the protective effects as chemopreventive agents or can interact with different genes and proteins to play role in chemotherapy. Flavonoids modulate reactive oxygen species (ROS)-scavenging enzyme activities, participate in arresting the cell cycle, induce apoptosis, autophagy, and suppress cancer cell proliferation and invasiveness. Flavonoids have dual action regarding ROS homeostasis—they act as antioxidants under normal conditions and are potent pro-oxidants in cancer cells triggering the apoptotic pathways and downregulating pro-inflammatory signaling pathways.