Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute and Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201-2013, USA.
Curr Mol Pharmacol. 2008 Nov;1(3):233-43. doi: 10.2174/1874467210801030233.
Polyphenolic compounds are widely distributed in the plant kingdom and the anticancer benefits obtained from their consumption have been studied extensively. However, polyphenols are subject to various biotransformation reactions within the human body including methylation. Likewise, naturally occurring polyphenols may contain O-methylations in place of the hydroxyls of the parent compounds. While some studies suggest that methylations can increase the bioavailability of polyphenols, other studies indicate a decrease in the anticancer benefits of methylated polyphenols. This review will focus on the cellular activities of polyphenols, their potential molecular targets and their biological effects after enzymatic methylation. Furthermore, an assessment of the positive and negative aspects of polyphenol methylation on the anticancer activity will be discussed. Finally, the future of polyphenols in both cancer prevention and cancer intervention will be addressed.
多酚化合物广泛存在于植物界，其消费所带来的抗癌益处已得到广泛研究。然而，多酚在人体内会受到各种生物转化反应的影响，包括甲基化。同样，天然存在的多酚可能含有 O-甲基取代母体化合物的羟基。虽然一些研究表明甲基化可以提高多酚的生物利用度，但其他研究表明甲基化多酚的抗癌益处降低。本综述将重点讨论多酚的细胞活性、它们的潜在分子靶点以及酶甲基化后的生物学效应。此外，还将评估多酚甲基化对抗癌活性的积极和消极方面。最后，将讨论多酚在癌症预防和干预中的未来。
