Antiproliferative Activity and Mechanisms of Action of Plant-derived Flavonoids on Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer is one of the main global diseases with a high mortality rate that mainly affects the female population. Despite the important advances that have been made concerning the treatments for this disease, research on less invasive therapies that generate fewer side effects for patients continues to develop. Consequently, researchers have turned their attention to using natural compounds (such as flavonoids) involved in molecular processes implicated in this type of cancer and are studying how these processes can be exploited to develop possible chemotherapies. This review offers a general description of studies on the antiproliferative activity of flavonoids obtained from natural sources for breast cancer treatment and their mechanism of action related to their structural characteristics. Reports were retrieved from electronic databases, such as Web of Science and Scopus using the following keywords: breast cancer, antiproliferative, flavonoids, and structureactivity. Articles published between 2015-2022 related to the topics mentioned above were selected, focusing on the flavonoids apigenin, luteolin, quercetin, and naringenin, as they are the ones with the highest activity and relevance according to the literature found.

Wound Healing Properties of Natural Products: Mechanisms of Action.

A wound is the loss of the normal integrity, structure, and functions of the skin due to a physical, chemical, or mechanical agent. Wound repair consists of an orderly and complex process divided into four phases: coagulation, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling. The potential of natural products in the treatment of wounds has been reported in numerous studies, emphasizing those with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties, e.g., alkaloids, saponins, terpenes, essential oils, and polyphenols from different plant sources, since these compounds can interact in the various stages of the wound healing process. This review addresses the most current in vitro and in vivo studies on the wound healing potential of natural products, as well as the main mechanisms involved in this activity. We observed sufficient evidence of the activity of these compounds in the treatment of wounds; however, we also found that there is no consensus on the effective concentrations in which the natural products exert this activity. For this reason, it is important to work on establishing optimal treatment doses, as well as an appropriate route of administration. In addition, more research should be carried out to discover the possible side effects and the behavior of natural products in clinical trials.

Cytotoxic Activity of Polyphenol Extracts from Three Oregano Species: Hedeoma patens, Lippia graveolens and Lippia palmeri, and Antiproliferative Potential of Lippia graveolens against Two Types of Breast Cancer Cell Lines (MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7).

Oregano infusions have traditionally been used to treat some diseases related to inflammation and cancer; also, some species have shown antiproliferative activity on cancer cell lines, for example, colon and liver, and this has been attributed to its phytochemical profile, mainly its phenolic compounds. This study aimed to evaluate the cytotoxicity and antiproliferative potential of the polyphenols-rich extracts (PRE) of the oregano species H. patens, L. graveolens, and L. palmeri on breast cancer cell lines. The PRE of the three oregano species were obtained from dried leaves. The extract was characterized by determining antioxidant activity, total phenols content, and identifying the profile of phenolic acids and flavonoids by chromatography UPLC-MS/MS. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity of the extracts was evaluated in vitro on a non-cancer cell line of fibroblast NIH3T3 and the antiproliferative potential on the breast cancer cell lines MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7. L. graveolens showed the highest antioxidant capacity and significantly inhibited the proliferation of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells at non-cytotoxic concentrations in normal cells, with a similar effect to that cisplatin in MDA-MB-231 cells. Therefore, the polyphenol-rich extract from L. graveolens showed the greatest potential to guide future research on the antiproliferative mechanism of action.

Flavonoids and Phenolic Acids from Oregano: Occurrence, Biological Activity and Health Benefits.

Several herb species classified as oregano have been widely used in folk medicine to alleviate inflammation-related diseases, respiratory and digestive disorders, headaches, rheumatism, diabetes and others. These potential health benefits are partially attributed to the phytochemical compounds in oregano such as flavonoids (FL) and phenolic acids (PA). Flavonoids and phenolic acids are among the most abundant and most studied phytochemicals in oregano species. Epidemiological, in vitro and in vivo experiments have related long-term consumption of dietary FL and PA with a decreased risk of incidence of chronic diseases. The aim of this manuscript is to summarize the latest studies on the identification and distribution of flavonoids and phenolic compounds from oregano species and their potential antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer health benefits.