Dietary Polyphenols: Luteolin, Quercetin, and Apigenin as Potential Therapeutic Agents in the Treatment of Gliomas

Abstract

Polyphenols are a group of plant-derived compounds that possess a wide range of possible industrial and pharmaceutical applications. Their mechanisms of action are often enabled by their multifaceted anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. As a result of their promising biological profile, they have been the focus of extensive research, which has examined their potential in the treatment of various diseases. These studies have observed that polyphenols may be associated with decreased neoplastic cellular growth, therefore offering valuable potential in oncological therapies. Quercetin, luteolin, and apigenin belong to the group of polyphenols with the most documented efficacy in this regard, particularly against tumors of glial origin. This review gathers information from a multitude of in vitro investigations and animal-model-based research that explore the molecular pathways and biochemical mechanisms engaged by polyphenols which enable their anti-tumoral activity in the central nervous system. Ultimately, this article aims to summarize this research and use this data to comment on the influence of polyphenols on glioma-affected subjects, in addition to exploring methods for increasing their bioavailability for the purposes of clinical application.

Keywords: apigenin; glioblastoma; gliomas; luteolin; polyphenols; quercetin.

Figure 1

Summarized mechanisms of luteolin activity toward glioma cells. ↓—decreased activity/amount, ↑—increased activity/amount.

Figure 2

Summarized mechanisms of quercetin activity toward glioma cells. ↓—decreased activity/amount, ↑—increased activity/amount.

Figure 3

Summarized mechanisms of apigenin activity toward glioma cells. ↓ means decreased; ↑ means increased.