Molecules 2008, 13(10), 2628-2651; doi:10.3390/molecules13102628
Review

Anti-carcinogenic Effects of the Flavonoid Luteolin

Günter Seelinger 1 email, Irmgard Merfort 2 email, Ute Wölfle 3 email and Christoph M. Schempp 3,* email
1 Medical and Pharmaceutical Services, Berlin, Germany 2 Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmaceutical Biology and Biotechnology, University of Freiburg, Germany 3 Competence center skintegral, Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Germany
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 17 September 2008; in revised form: 17 October 2008 / Accepted: 21 October 2008 / Published: 22 October 2008
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Phenolics and Polyphenolics)
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Abstract: Luteolin is a flavonoid which is part of our daily nutrition in relatively low amounts (less than 1 mg/day). Nevertheless, some epidemiological studies suggest an inverse correlation between luteolin intake and the risk of some cancer types. Luteolin displays specific anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic effects, which can only partly be explained by its anti-oxidant and free radical scavenging capacities. Luteolin can delay or block the development of cancer cells in vitro and in vivo by protection from carcinogenic stimuli, by inhibition of tumor cell proliferation, by induction of cell cycle arrest and by induction of apoptosis via intrinsic and extrinsic signaling pathways. When compared to other flavonoids, luteolin was usually among the most effective ones, inhibiting tumor cell proliferation with IC50 values between 3 and 50 μM in vitro and in vivo by 5 to 10 mg/kg i.p., intragastric application of 0.1–0.3 mg/kg/d, or as food additive in concentrations of 50 to 200 ppm. Luteolin has been shown to penetrate into human skin, making it also a candidate for the prevention and treatment of skin cancer.
Keywords: Luteolin; Cancer; Pharmacology; Epidemiology

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Cite This Article

MDPI and ACS Style

Seelinger, G.; Merfort, I.; Wölfle, U.; Schempp, C.M. Anti-carcinogenic Effects of the Flavonoid Luteolin. Molecules 2008, 13, 2628-2651.

AMA Style

Seelinger G, Merfort I, Wölfle U, Schempp CM. Anti-carcinogenic Effects of the Flavonoid Luteolin. Molecules. 2008; 13(10):2628-2651.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Seelinger, Günter; Merfort, Irmgard; Wölfle, Ute; Schempp, Christoph M. 2008. "Anti-carcinogenic Effects of the Flavonoid Luteolin." Molecules 13, no. 10: 2628-2651.

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