Flavonoids vs. Conventional Cancer Drugs: Comparative Therapeutic and Safety Profiles
摘要
Flavonoids are a group of natural compounds that has gained substantial consideration for their potent anticancer potential and favorable safety profile compared to conventional synthetic therapeutics. Numerous recent research has demonstrated that high dietary intake of flavonoids may lower the risk of several cancers, including breast, prostate, bladder, cervical, colon, liver, lung, leukemia, and ovarian cancers. Among the well-characterized flavonoids, kaempferol, from Artemisia annua, Camellia sinensis, Ginkgo biloba, Ocimum sanctum (Tulsi), Zingiber officinale (Ginger), Aloe vera, and Cannabis sativa, has been shown experimentally in many studies for anticancer potential in different cancers, outlined above. Many flavonoids are found to modulate cancer signaling pathways and impact several cellular processes, such as tumor growth inhibition, suppression of proliferation, invasion, and metastasis, induction of apoptosis, autophagy, ferroptosis, and pyroptosis. The functional characteristic of flavonoids also shows an additive advantage of existing therapeutic modalities such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and hormone therapy, by providing reduced toxicity. This chapter aims to underscore that flavonoids offer substantial anticancer benefits with current knowledge and outlines future directions for optimizing flavonoids as effective, safer anticancer agents in integrative cancer care.