Title:The Anticancer Potential of Apigenin Via Immunoregulation
Volume: 27
Issue: 4
Author(s): Lu Xu, Mohamed Y. Zaky, Waleed Yousuf, Anwar Ullah, Gehad R. Abdelbaset, Yingqiu Zhang, Osama M. Ahmed, Shuyan Liu*Han Liu*
Affiliation:
- Second Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Cancer Stem Cell, Dalian Medical University, Dalian,China
- Second Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Cancer Stem Cell, Dalian Medical University, Dalian,China
Keywords:
Apigenin, cancer, flavonoid, immunotherapy, immunoregulation, natural product.
Abstract: Apigenin is an edible flavonoid widely distributed in natural plants, including most vegetables and
fruits. Previous studies have revealed that apigenin possesses multiple biological functions by demonstrating antiinflammatory,
anti-oxidative, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-tumor and cardiovascular protective effects. Furthermore,
recent progressions have disclosed a novel perspective of the anti-cancer roles of apigenin through its immunoregulatory
functions. With the rapid progression of the groundbreaking strategies being developed for cancer
immunotherapy, its immunoregulatory roles are being recognized as intriguing features of the multifaceted
apigenin. However, the current understanding of this emerging role of apigenin still remains limited. Therefore, in
the present review, recent advances on the immunoregulatory properties of apigenin in various diseases with a
special focus on neoplasm, are summarized. Clinical strategies of cancer immunotherapy are briefly introduced
and findings on apigenin linked to immunoregulatory roles in immunotherapy-associated aspects are brought
together. The bioactivity, bioavailability, toxicity and potential of apigenin, to be considered as a therapeutic
agent in anti-tumor immunotherapy, is discussed. Disclosed molecular mechanisms underlying the immunoregulatory
roles of apigenin in cancer immunotherapy are also summarized. Based on findings from the literature,
apigenin has the potential to serve as a prospective adjuvant for anti-cancer immunotherapy and warrants further
investigations.