title: Research progress on the anticarcinogenic actions and mechanisms of ellagic acid.
abstract: Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. Cancer treatments by chemotherapeutic agents, surgery, and radiation have not been highly effective in reducing the incidence of cancers and increasing the survival rate of cancer patients. In recent years, plant-derived compounds have attracted considerable attention as alternative cancer remedies for enhancing cancer prevention and treatment because of their low toxicities, low costs, and low side effects. Ellagic acid (EA) is a natural phenolic constituent. Recent in vitro and in vivo experiments have revealed that EA elicits anticarcinogenic effects by inhibiting tumor cell proliferation, inducing apoptosis, breaking DNA binding to carcinogens, blocking virus infection, and disturbing inflammation, angiogenesis, and drug-resistance processes required for tumor growth and metastasis. This review enumerates the anticarcinogenic actions and mechanisms of EA. It also discusses future directions on the applications of EA.
authors.affiliation: 1 Medical Sciences Research Center, 2 Department of Pharmacy, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Southeast University, Nanjing 210003, China ; 3 Nanjing Longyuan Natural Polyphenol Synthesis Institute, Nanjing 210042, China.
authors.forename: Hong-Mei
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: 1 Medical Sciences Research Center, 2 Department of Pharmacy, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Southeast University, Nanjing 210003, China ; 3 Nanjing Longyuan Natural Polyphenol Synthesis Institute, Nanjing 210042, China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: 1 Medical Sciences Research Center, 2 Department of Pharmacy, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Southeast University, Nanjing 210003, China ; 3 Nanjing Longyuan Natural Polyphenol Synthesis Institute, Nanjing 210042, China.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: 1 Medical Sciences Research Center, 2 Department of Pharmacy, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Southeast University, Nanjing 210003, China ; 3 Nanjing Longyuan Natural Polyphenol Synthesis Institute, Nanjing 210042, China.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: 1 Medical Sciences Research Center, 2 Department of Pharmacy, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Southeast University, Nanjing 210003, China ; 3 Nanjing Longyuan Natural Polyphenol Synthesis Institute, Nanjing 210042, China.
authors.forename: Wen-Wen
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: 1 Medical Sciences Research Center, 2 Department of Pharmacy, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Southeast University, Nanjing 210003, China ; 3 Nanjing Longyuan Natural Polyphenol Synthesis Institute, Nanjing 210042, China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tao
keywords: Ellagic acid (EA); cancer; mechanism