title: Targeting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR axis by apigenin for cancer prevention.
abstract: Natural products are important sources of anti-cancer lead molecules, and high dietary consumption of fruits and vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of certain cancers. Many efforts have been devoted to identifying and developing plant-derived dietary constituents as chemopreventive agents. Among them, apigenin, a naturally occurring flavonoid found in a variety of fruits and leafy vegetables, has been shown to possess remarkable anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties. This review summarizes the anti-cancer and chemopreventive effects of apigenin at cellular and molecular levels, its chemical structure and properties, with focus on mechanism related to apigenin's inhibition of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathways.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. x-tong1@northwestern.edu
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Tong
authors.forename: Jill C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Pelling
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D047310:Apigenin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D000081082:Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents; D047310:Apigenin; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D000081082:Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases