Department of Metabolism and Nutrition, Institute of Food Science, Technology and Nutrition-ICTAN (former Instituto del Frío), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Ciudad Universitaria, Madrid, Spain.
Nutr Cancer. 2012;64(4):588-98. doi: 10.1080/01635581.2012.661513. Epub 2012 Mar 27.
The dietary flavonoid quercetin is an antioxidant that possesses antiinflammatory and anticarcinogenic properties and may modulate signaling pathways. Inflammation is considered to play a pivotal role in carcinogenesis by triggering activation of transcription factors such as nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), functionally dependent on cellular redox status. This study aims to investigate the antiinflammatory effect of quercetin and its role on the NF-κB pathway, and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and mitogen-activated protein kinases modulation in a human hepatoma cell line (HepG2). Quercetin alone did not modify any of the parameters analyzed but protected cells against activation of the NF-κB route induced by tumor necrosis factor-α. This inhibitory effect of quercetin was mediated, at least in part, by extracellular regulated kinase, c-jun amino-terminal kinase, and reactive oxygen species, and it was accompanied by reduced COX-2 levels. These observations suggest that quercetin may contribute as an antiinflammatory agent in the liver and provide evidences about its role in the prevention of diseases associated with inflammation, including cancer.
膳食类黄酮槲皮素是一种抗氧化剂，具有抗炎和抗癌特性，并可能调节信号通路。炎症被认为通过触发转录因子如核因子 kappa B（NF-κB）的激活在致癌作用中发挥关键作用，NF-κB 功能上依赖于细胞的氧化还原状态。本研究旨在研究槲皮素的抗炎作用及其对 NF-κB 途径的作用，以及环氧合酶-2（COX-2）和丝裂原活化蛋白激酶在人肝癌细胞系（HepG2）中的调节作用。槲皮素本身并没有改变分析的任何参数，但可以保护细胞免受肿瘤坏死因子-α诱导的 NF-κB 途径的激活。槲皮素的这种抑制作用至少部分是通过细胞外调节激酶、c-jun 氨基末端激酶和活性氧介导的，同时伴有 COX-2 水平的降低。这些观察结果表明，槲皮素可能作为肝脏的抗炎剂发挥作用，并为其在预防与炎症相关的疾病（包括癌症）中的作用提供了证据。
