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DOI: 10.1055/s-0036-1586391
Chemopreventive and chemosensitization potential of flavonoids in acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Subject Editor:
Publication History
23 January 2011
09 May 2011
Publication Date:
01 August 2016 (online)
Abstract
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a cancer of white blood cells. ALL occurs in people of all ages but most commonly in children. Improvement in the survival of children suffering from ALL over past 35 years is one of the great success stories of cancer treatment. However, increased survival of ALL patients stimulates the need for new therapeutic protocols in order to diminish the late side effects of ALL-therapy in children. Certain dietary compounds may increase cancer cells' sensitivity to drugs and radiation, and decrease the adverse effects of therapeutic protocols.
Flavonoids are polyphenolic compounds which are categorized according to their chemical structure as flavonols, flavones, flavanones, isoflavones, catechins, anthocyanidins and chalcones. Numerous polyphenolic compounds showed antiproliferative and cytotoxic effects and more specifically proapoptotic activities in several cancer cells lines and in animal tumor models. This review covers recent literature and summarizes the chemopreventive potential of flavonoids and molecular mechanisms of apoptosis induced by flavonoids in lymphoblastic leukemia. Several types of flavonoids, either by themselves or in combination with chemotherapeutic agents, may be effective in ALL prevention and treatment. Flavonoids recruit several proapoptotic signaling routes and inhibit antiapoptotic pathways in order to exert their chemopreventive properties.