Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Honey Polyphenols Inhibit Cancer Cells

Antiproliferative Effects of Honey and of Its Polyphenols: A Review
Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Volume 2009

Honey has been used since long time both in medical and domestic needs, but only recently the antioxidant property of it came to limelight. The fact that antioxidants have several preventative effects against different diseases, such as cancer, coronary diseases, inflammatory disorders, neurological degeneration, and aging, led to search for food rich in antioxidants. Chemoprevention uses various dietary agents rich in phytochemicals which serve as antioxidants.

With increasing demand for antioxidant supply in the food, honey had gained vitality since it is rich in phenolic compounds and other antioxidants like ascorbic acid, amino acids, and proteins. Some simple and polyphenols found in honey, namely, caffeic acid (CA), caffeic acid phenyl esters (CAPE), Chrysin (CR), Galangin (GA), Quercetin (QU), Kaempferol (KP), Acacetin (AC), Pinocembrin (PC), Pinobanksin (PB), and Apigenin (AP), have evolved as promising pharmacological agents in treatment of cancer. In this review, we reviewed the antiproliferative and molecular mechanisms of honey and above-mentioned polyphenols in various cancer cell lines…

Our review has clearly demonstrated certain honey polyphenols tested in laboratorial setups showed to be a promising pharmacological agent for inhibiting cancer cell proliferation. After generating more in-depth and exhaustive information of these compounds jointly in in vitro and in vivo studies, clinical trials have to be initiated to further validate these compounds in medical applications.

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