Biological properties and therapeutic effects of apigenin and its evaluation on several types of cancer

Abstract

Apigenin is a member of the flavonoid family that has been used in medicine for a long time. Apigenin is one of the compounds that has been used for a long time to treat various disorders and diseases. Apigenin is chemically known as 4',5,7, trihydroxyflavone and belongs to the family of flavones. Apigenin has many pharmacological activities such as anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, etc. Various studies have shown that apigenin plays an important role in suppressing diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, inflammatory diseases, and different types of cancers. In the present study, various therapeutic properties, biological effects, and the effect of apigenin on different cancers are discussed. Different studies have been conducted on the anti-cancer effect of apigenin. It has been proven that apigenin has inhibitory effects on various cancers including lung, stomach, neuroblastoma, thyroid, liver, skin, and prostate cancer through different signaling pathways. In general, it can be mentioned that the anti-cancer properties of apigenin are due to its effects in various signaling pathways such as angiogenesis, tumor suppressor genes, apoptosis, cell cycle and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT3), phosphoinositide 3-kinase /protein kinase B /mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/AKT/mTOR), mitogen-activated protein kinase/ estrogen receptor 2 (MAPK/ER2), Wnt/B-catenin pathways.