Title:Established Human Cell Lines as Models to Study Anti-leukemic Effects of Flavonoids
Volume: 18
Issue: 1
Author(s): Katrin Sak and Hele Everaus
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Antiproliferation, Apoptosis, Cell cycle arrest, Cytotoxicity, Differentiation, Flavonoids, Leukemia, Human cell
lines.
Abstract: Despite the extensive work on pathological mechanisms and some recent advances in the
treatment of different hematological malignancies, leukemia continues to present a significant challenge
being frequently considered as incurable disease. Therefore, the development of novel therapeutic
agents with high efficacy and low toxicity is urgently needed to improve the overall survival rate of patients.
In this comprehensive review article, the current knowledge about the anticancer activities of
flavonoids as plant secondary polyphenolic metabolites in the most commonly used human established
leukemia cell lines (HL-60, NB4, KG1a, U937, THP-1, K562, Jurkat, CCRF- CEM, MOLT-3, and
MOLT-4) is compiled, revealing clear anti-proliferative, pro-apoptotic, cell cycle arresting, and differentiation
inducing effects for certain compounds. Considering the low toxicity of these substances in
normal blood cells, the presented data show a great potential of flavonoids to be developed into novel
anti-leukemia agents applicable also in the malignant cells resistant to the current conventional chemotherapeutic
drugs.
