Pharmacological Properties of 4′, 5, 7-Trihydroxyflavone (Apigenin) and Its Impact on Cell Signaling Pathways

Abid, Rameesha; Ghazanfar, Shakira; Farid, Arshad; Sulaman, Samra Muhammad; Idrees, Maryam; Amen, Radwa Abdallnasser; Muzammal, Muhammad; Shahzad, Muhammad Khurram; Mohamed, Mohamed Omar; Khaled, Alaa Ashraf; Safir, Waqas; Ghori, Ifra; Elasbali, Abdelbaset Mohamed; Alharbi, Bandar

doi:10.3390/molecules27134304

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Pharmacological Properties of 4′, 5, 7-Trihydroxyflavone (Apigenin) and Its Impact on Cell Signaling Pathways

by

Rameesha Abid

^1,2,*

,

Shakira Ghazanfar

²

,

Arshad Farid

^3,*

,

Samra Muhammad Sulaman

⁴,

Maryam Idrees

^2,5

,

Radwa Abdallnasser Amen

⁶,

Muhammad Muzammal

³,

Muhammad Khurram Shahzad

⁷,

Mohamed Omar Mohamed

⁸,

Alaa Ashraf Khaled

⁹,

Waqas Safir

¹⁰

,

Ifra Ghori

¹¹,

Abdelbaset Mohamed Elasbali

^12,*

and

Bandar Alharbi

¹³

¹

Department of Biotechnology, University of Sialkot, Sialkot 51310, Pakistan

²

National Institute for Genomics and Advanced Biotechnology (NIGAB), National Agricultural Research Center, Islamabad 44100, Pakistan

³

Gomal Center of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan 29050, Pakistan

⁴

Biotechnology Department, University of Gujrat, Punjab 50700, Pakistan

⁵

Department of Microbiology, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan

⁶

Biotechnology Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Cairo 424010, Egypt

⁷

Biotechnology and Bioinformatics Department, International Islamic University, Islamabad 44100, Pakistan

⁸

Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, Cairo 424010, Egypt

⁹

Faculty of Agriculture, Benha University, Benha 13511, Egypt

¹⁰

College of Life Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China

¹¹

Department of Biotechnology, Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi 46000, Pakistan

¹²

Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, College of Applied Sciences-Qurayyat, Jouf University, Sakaka 72388, Saudi Arabia

¹³

Department of Medical Laboratory, College of Applied Medical Science, University of Hail, Hail 81481, Saudi Arabia

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^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Molecules 2022, 27(13), 4304; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27134304

Submission received: 18 May 2022 / Revised: 23 June 2022 / Accepted: 1 July 2022 / Published: 4 July 2022

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preventive and Therapeutic Effects of Plant Bioactive Compounds in Chronic Inflammation and Cancer)

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Abstract

Plant bioactive compounds, particularly apigenin, have therapeutic potential and functional activities that aid in the prevention of infectious diseases in many mammalian bodies and promote tumor growth inhibition. Apigenin is a flavonoid with low toxicities and numerous bioactive properties due to which it has been considered as a traditional medicine for decades. Apigenin shows synergistic effects in combined treatment with sorafenib in the HepG2 human cell line (HCC) in less time and statistically reduces the viability of tumor cells, migration, gene expression and apoptosis. The combination of anti-cancerous drugs with apigenin has shown health promoting potential against various cancers. It can prevent cell mobility, maintain the cell cycle and stimulate the immune system. Apigenin also suppresses mTOR activity and raises the UVB-induced phagocytosis and reduces the cancerous cell proliferation and growth. It also has a high safety threshold, and active (anti-cancer) doses can be gained by consuming a vegetable and apigenin rich diet. Apigenin also boosted autophagosome formation, decreased cell proliferation and activated autophagy by preventing the activity of the PI3K pathway, specifically in HepG2 cells. This paper provides an updated overview of apigenin’s beneficial anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, and anticancer effects, making it a step in the right direction for therapeutics. This study also critically analyzed the effect of apigenin on cancer cell signaling pathways including the PI3K/AKT/MTOR, JAK/STAT, NF-κB and ERK/MAPK pathways.

Keywords: apigenin; flavonoid; apoptosis; ROS; signaling cascades

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MDPI and ACS Style

Abid, R.; Ghazanfar, S.; Farid, A.; Sulaman, S.M.; Idrees, M.; Amen, R.A.; Muzammal, M.; Shahzad, M.K.; Mohamed, M.O.; Khaled, A.A.; et al. Pharmacological Properties of 4′, 5, 7-Trihydroxyflavone (Apigenin) and Its Impact on Cell Signaling Pathways. Molecules 2022, 27, 4304. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27134304

AMA Style

Abid R, Ghazanfar S, Farid A, Sulaman SM, Idrees M, Amen RA, Muzammal M, Shahzad MK, Mohamed MO, Khaled AA, et al. Pharmacological Properties of 4′, 5, 7-Trihydroxyflavone (Apigenin) and Its Impact on Cell Signaling Pathways. Molecules. 2022; 27(13):4304. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27134304

Chicago/Turabian Style

Abid, Rameesha, Shakira Ghazanfar, Arshad Farid, Samra Muhammad Sulaman, Maryam Idrees, Radwa Abdallnasser Amen, Muhammad Muzammal, Muhammad Khurram Shahzad, Mohamed Omar Mohamed, Alaa Ashraf Khaled, and et al. 2022. "Pharmacological Properties of 4′, 5, 7-Trihydroxyflavone (Apigenin) and Its Impact on Cell Signaling Pathways" Molecules 27, no. 13: 4304. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27134304

APA Style

Abid, R., Ghazanfar, S., Farid, A., Sulaman, S. M., Idrees, M., Amen, R. A., Muzammal, M., Shahzad, M. K., Mohamed, M. O., Khaled, A. A., Safir, W., Ghori, I., Elasbali, A. M., & Alharbi, B. (2022). Pharmacological Properties of 4′, 5, 7-Trihydroxyflavone (Apigenin) and Its Impact on Cell Signaling Pathways. Molecules, 27(13), 4304. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27134304

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Pharmacological Properties of 4′, 5, 7-Trihydroxyflavone (Apigenin) and Its Impact on Cell Signaling Pathways

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