Molecular Targets of Genistein and Its Related Flavonoids to Exert Anticancer Effects

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences 2019-05, Vol.20 (10), p.2420
• Main Authors: Chae, Hee-Sung, Xu, Rong, Won, Jae-Yeon, Chin, Young-Won, Yim, Hyungshin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Angiogenesis; Animals; Antineoplastic Agents - pharmacology; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Apoptosis; Apoptosis - drug effects; Breast cancer; Cancer; Cell adhesion & migration; Cell cycle; Cell Cycle Checkpoints - drug effects; Cell Cycle Proteins - antagonists & inhibitors; Cell Cycle Proteins - metabolism; Cell proliferation; Cell viability; Colorectal cancer; Daidzein; Drug development; Flavanols; Flavanones - pharmacology; Flavones; Flavonoids; Flavonoids - chemistry; Flavonoids - pharmacology; Gastric cancer; Genistein; Genistein - pharmacology; Herbal medicine; Hesperidin; Humans; Immune response; Isoflavones; Janus kinase 2; Kaempferol; Kinases; Leukemia; Liver cancer; Lung cancer; Malignancy; Matrix metalloproteinase; Matrix metalloproteinases; Melanoma; Metalloproteinase; Metastases; Metastasis; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases - drug effects; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases - metabolism; Naringenin; Neoplasm Metastasis - drug therapy; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases - metabolism; Polo-Like Kinase 1; Proteasome 26S; Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases - antagonists & inhibitors; Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases - metabolism; Proto-Oncogene Proteins - antagonists & inhibitors; Proto-Oncogene Proteins - metabolism; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt - metabolism; Review; Signal transduction; Signal Transduction - drug effects; α-Interferon
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms20102420

Increased health awareness among the public has highlighted the health benefits of dietary supplements including flavonoids. As flavonoids target several critical factors to exert a variety of biological effects, studies to identify their target-specific effects have been conducted. Herein, we discuss the basic structures of flavonoids and their anticancer activities in relation to the specific biological targets acted upon by these flavonoids. Flavonoids target several signaling pathways involved in apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT kinase, and metastasis. Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) has been recognized as a valuable target in cancer treatment due to the prognostic implication of PLK1 in cancer patients and its clinical relevance between the overexpression of PLK1 and the reduced survival rates of several carcinoma patients. Recent studies suggest that several flavonoids, including genistein directly inhibit PLK1 inhibitory activity. Later, we focus on the anticancer effects of genistein through inhibition of PLK1.