Fisetin and Quercetin: Promising Flavonoids with Chemopreventive Potential

Abstract

Despite advancements in healthcare facilities for diagnosis and treatment, cancer remains the leading cause of death worldwide. As prevention is always better than cure, efficient strategies are needed in order to deal with the menace of cancer. The use of phytochemicals as adjuvant chemotherapeutic agents in heterogeneous human carcinomas like breast, colon, lung, ovary, and prostate cancers has shown an upward trend during the last decade or so. Flavonoids are well-known products of plant derivatives that are reportedly documented to be therapeutically active phytochemicals against many diseases encompassing malignancies, inflammatory disorders (cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disorder), and oxidative stress. The current review focuses on two key flavonols, fisetin and quercetin, known for their potential pharmacological relevance. Also, efforts have been made to bring together most of the concrete studies pertaining to the bioactive potential of fisetin and quercetin, especially in the modulation of a range of cancer signaling pathways. Further emphasis has also been made to highlight the molecular action of quercetin and fisetin so that one could explore cancer initiation pathways and progression, which could be helpful in designing effective treatment strategies.

Keywords: apoptosis; cell cycle arrest; epithelial to mesenchymal transition; extracellular matrix remodeling; fisetin; flavonoids; quercetin; signaling cascades.

Figure 1

Showing regulation of different cancer related processes under the effect of flavonoids. All these processes are crucial in carcinogenesis and play key roles for cancer initiation and progression. Flavonoids effectively act at these processes to inhibit cancer growth.

Figure 2

Figure showing regulation of different cancer associated signaling pathways. Deregulation of these pathways has been determined in human malignancies. Flavonoids control the deregulation of these pathways and cancer proliferation.

Figure 3

Chemical structure of fisetin (a) and quercetin (b).