Flavonoid compounds in maintenance of prostate health and prevention and treatment of cancer

Compounds based on a flavonoid (di-phenolic) ring structure are emerging as a potentially important new class of pharmaceutical compounds with a broad range of biological activities, most prominent of which are their potential role as anticancer agents. These compounds exert a wide range of upregula...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Molecular biotechnology 2005-07, Vol.30 (3), p.253-270
Main Authors: BROWN, David M, KELLY, Graham E, HUSBAND, Alan J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Biotechnology
Cancer therapies
Cell Cycle - drug effects
Flavonoids - metabolism
Flavonoids - pharmacology
Flavonoids - therapeutic use
Flavonoids - toxicity
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Health
Hormones - metabolism
Humans
Hyperplasia - pathology
Hyperplasia - prevention & control
Male
Ovarian cancer
Phenols
Prostate cancer
Prostatic Neoplasms - drug therapy
Prostatic Neoplasms - metabolism
Prostatic Neoplasms - pathology
Prostatic Neoplasms - prevention & control
Signal transduction
Studies
Vegetarianism
Vitamins
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Summary:Compounds based on a flavonoid (di-phenolic) ring structure are emerging as a potentially important new class of pharmaceutical compounds with a broad range of biological activities, most prominent of which are their potential role as anticancer agents. These compounds exert a wide range of upregulating and downregulating effects on signal transduction processes within cells in both plants and animals. The observation that human communities, which consume large quantities of these compounds (legume-based vegetarian diets), have a lower incidence of many degenerative diseases and some cancers has led to the speculation that these compounds, or synthetic analogs, may be of therapeutic value. This article reviews the evidence supporting this hypothesis and provides some examples of attempts to develop new therapeutics based on dietary isoflavones or novel isoflavonoid structures in maintaining prostate health and in cancer treatment and management. One of these compounds, phenoxodiol, is now in human clinical trials and has shown promise in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer where the cancer is refractory or resistant to standard chemotherapy, and in patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
ISSN:1073-6085
1559-0305
1073-6085
DOI:10.1385/MB:30:3:253