Khan Fahad, Alam Mir Waqas, Ramniwas Seema, Rautela Indra, Lakhanpal Sorabh, Pandey Pratibha
Center for Global Health Research Saveetha Medical College, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai, India.
Department of Physics, College of Science, King Faisal University, Al Ahsa, 31982, Saudi Arabia.
Curr Med Chem. 2025;32(12):2349-2367. doi: 10.2174/0109298673339611241031031946.
Apigenin (APG) is being investigated for its potential in treating different forms of cancer. It can regulate many cellular processes, such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, invasion, metastasis, and autophagy, via controlling multiple cellular signaling pathways. In addition, this chemical demonstrates a significant preference for cancer cells over healthy cells. This is a crucial factor when compared to other treatments for cancer. However, apigenin is distinguished by its limited ability to dissolve in water, sluggish absorption when taken orally, rapid metabolism, and strong affinity for binding to plasma proteins. Therefore, oral dosing generally results in low plasma concentrations. Nanotechnology is being developed to address the constraints of pharmacokinetics and physicochemical properties. It offers a precise and regulated method for delivering drugs, enhancing oral absorption, improving their solubility in water, and reducing side effects. The mechanism of action of apigenin has persuaded the scientific community to acknowledge it as an anticancer drug, hence supporting the utility of apigenin nano formulations as a contemporary therapeutic tool. Nonetheless, diverse nanocarriers for apigenin have effectively addressed inadequate water solubility and non-specificity towards target tissues. This review summarizes diverse biological aspects of apigenin and elaborates on the issues associated with using apigenin nanocarriers to enhance its efficacy in human carcinomas. Subsequent in vivo tests showed its capacity to decrease tumor size, prompting further experimentation with human subjects.
芹菜素（APG）因其在治疗不同类型癌症方面的潜力而受到研究。它可以通过控制多种细胞信号通路来调节许多细胞过程，如细胞增殖、凋亡、细胞周期停滞、侵袭、转移和自噬。此外，这种化合物对癌细胞的偏好明显高于健康细胞。与其他癌症治疗方法相比，这是一个关键因素。然而，芹菜素的特点是其在水中的溶解性有限、口服吸收缓慢、代谢迅速以及与血浆蛋白结合的亲和力强。因此，口服给药通常导致血浆浓度较低。正在开发纳米技术以解决药代动力学和物理化学性质方面的限制。它提供了一种精确且可控的药物递送方法，增强口服吸收、提高其在水中的溶解度并减少副作用。芹菜素的作用机制已促使科学界将其认可为一种抗癌药物，从而支持芹菜素纳米制剂作为一种现代治疗工具的实用性。尽管如此，用于芹菜素的多种纳米载体已有效解决了其水溶性不足以及对靶组织的非特异性问题。本综述总结了芹菜素的各种生物学特性，并阐述了使用芹菜素纳米载体以增强其在人类癌症中疗效所涉及的问题。随后的体内试验表明其具有减小肿瘤大小的能力，这促使对人体进行进一步试验。
