Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, American University of Beirut, P.O. Box 11-0236, Beirut, Lebanon.
Department of Biology, American University of Beirut, P.O. Box 11-0236, Beirut, Lebanon.
Biomed Pharmacother. 2022 Feb;146:112442. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2021.112442. Epub 2022 Jan 4.
Cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality around the globe. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play contradicting roles in cancer incidence and progression. Antioxidants have attracted attention as emerging therapeutic agents. Among these are flavonoids, which are natural polyphenols with established anticancer and antioxidant capacities. Increasing evidence shows that flavonoids can inhibit carcinogenesis via suppressing ROS levels. Surprisingly, flavonoids can also trigger excessive oxidative stress, but this can also induce death of malignant cells. In this review, we explore the inherent characteristics that contribute to the antioxidant capacity of flavonoids, and we dissect the scenarios in which they play the contrasting role as pro-oxidants. Furthermore, we elaborate on the pathways that link flavonoid-mediated modulation of ROS to the prevention and treatment of cancer. Special attention is given to the ROS-mediated anticancer functions that (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), hesperetin, naringenin, quercetin, luteolin, and apigenin evoke in various cancers. We also delve into the structure-function relations that make flavonoids potent antioxidants. This review provides a detailed perspective that can be utilized in future experiments or trials that aim at utilizing flavonoids or verifying their efficacy for developing new pharmacologic agents. We support the argument that flavonoids are attractive candidates for cancer therapy.
癌症是全球发病率和死亡率的主要原因。活性氧（ROS）在癌症的发生和发展中起着矛盾的作用。抗氧化剂作为新兴的治疗剂引起了人们的关注。其中包括黄酮类化合物，它是具有抗癌和抗氧化能力的天然多酚。越来越多的证据表明，黄酮类化合物可以通过抑制 ROS 水平来抑制致癌作用。令人惊讶的是，黄酮类化合物也可以引发过度的氧化应激，但这也可以诱导恶性细胞死亡。在这篇综述中，我们探讨了导致黄酮类化合物抗氧化能力的固有特性，并剖析了它们作为氧化剂发挥相反作用的情况。此外，我们详细阐述了将黄酮类化合物介导的 ROS 调节与癌症的预防和治疗联系起来的途径。特别关注 (-)-表没食子儿茶素没食子酸酯（EGCG）、橙皮苷、柚皮苷、槲皮素、木犀草素和芹菜素在各种癌症中引发的 ROS 介导的抗癌功能。我们还深入研究了使黄酮类化合物成为有效抗氧化剂的结构-功能关系。这篇综述提供了一个详细的视角，可以用于未来的实验或试验，旨在利用黄酮类化合物或验证它们开发新的药理制剂的功效。我们支持这样的论点，即黄酮类化合物是癌症治疗的有吸引力的候选药物。
