An apple a day to prevent cancer formation: Reducing cancer risk with flavonoids

 

Shih-Hsin Tu ^a,b,c, Li-Ching Chen ^b,c,d, Yuan-Soon Ho ^e,f,g,h,*

^a Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, College of Medicine,
Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
^b Breast Medical Center, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
^c Taipei Cancer Center, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
^d Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine,
Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
^e Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine,
Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
^f Department of Laboratory Medicine, Taipei Medical University Hospital,
Taipei, Taiwan
^g Comprehensive Cancer Center of Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
^h School of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan

 

The purpose of this review is to update and discuss key findings from in vitro and in vivo studies on apple and its biocompounds, with a special focus on its anticancer role. Several studies have proposed that apple and its extracts exhibit a variety of biological functions that may contribute to health benefits including beneficial effects against chronic heart and vascular disorders, respiratory and pulmonary dysfunction, diabetes, obesity, and cancer. In this review, we summarize the molecular mechanism(s) of various components in apple, as established in previous studies that indicated their growth-inhibitory effects in various cancer cell types. Moreover, an attempt is made to delineate the direction of future studies that could lead to the development of apple components as a potent chemopreventive/chemotherapeutic agent against cancer.

 

Keywords: apple, cancer chemoprevention, phloretin, type 2 glucose transporter