1 Medical Sciences Research Center, 2 Department of Pharmacy, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Southeast University, Nanjing 210003, China ; 3 Nanjing Longyuan Natural Polyphenol Synthesis Institute, Nanjing 210042, China.
Cancer Biol Med. 2014 Jun;11(2):92-100. doi: 10.7497/j.issn.2095-3941.2014.02.004.
Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. Cancer treatments by chemotherapeutic agents, surgery, and radiation have not been highly effective in reducing the incidence of cancers and increasing the survival rate of cancer patients. In recent years, plant-derived compounds have attracted considerable attention as alternative cancer remedies for enhancing cancer prevention and treatment because of their low toxicities, low costs, and low side effects. Ellagic acid (EA) is a natural phenolic constituent. Recent in vitro and in vivo experiments have revealed that EA elicits anticarcinogenic effects by inhibiting tumor cell proliferation, inducing apoptosis, breaking DNA binding to carcinogens, blocking virus infection, and disturbing inflammation, angiogenesis, and drug-resistance processes required for tumor growth and metastasis. This review enumerates the anticarcinogenic actions and mechanisms of EA. It also discusses future directions on the applications of EA.
癌症是全球主要死因之一。化疗药物、手术和放疗在降低癌症发病率和提高癌症患者生存率方面的效果并不显著。近年来，植物衍生化合物因其低毒性、低成本和低副作用而备受关注，成为癌症治疗的替代方法，以增强癌症的预防和治疗效果。鞣花酸 (EA) 是一种天然的酚类成分。最近的体外和体内实验表明，EA 通过抑制肿瘤细胞增殖、诱导细胞凋亡、破坏 DNA 与致癌物的结合、阻断病毒感染以及干扰肿瘤生长和转移所需的炎症、血管生成和耐药过程，发挥抗癌作用。本文列举了 EA 的抗癌作用和机制，并讨论了 EA 的应用前景。
