The antitumour effect of galangin and luteolin with doxorubicin on chemically induced hepatocellular carcinoma in rats

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a highly malignant tumour with very high morbidity and mortality, remains the second cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Galangin is a naturally occurring flavonoid extracted from the propolis and root of Alpinia officinarum, which possesses antitumour efficacy, which has resulted in an increase in interest in related research. Additionally, galangin inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis in several human malignancies. On the other hand, luteolin, a naturally occurring flavonoid found in a variety of edible plants, augments cytotoxicity in different cancer cells through the inhibition of cell-survival pathways and activation of apoptosis. Moreover, luteolin blocks the activity of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family members. The present study aimed to assess the antitumour effect of galangin and luteolin in combination and the antitumour effect of a combination of galangin and luteolin together with doxorubicin (DOX) in a chemically induced HCC rat model. Our analyses demonstrated that the combination treatment with galangin, luteolin, and DOX showed the greatest antineoplastic activity against HCC, which was observed by significant decreases in the levels of HCC markers, including serum α-fetoprotein-L3, and hepatic tissue expression of both glypican 3 and heat shock proteins. On the other hand, the hepatic tissue expression of caspase-3 was significantly increased. These results suggest that combination treatment with galangin and luteolin is a promising candidate for clinical use in HCC chemotherapy, especially when used in combination with DOX.

Therapeutic potential of flavonoids used in traditional Chinese medicine – a comparative study of galangin, kaempferol, chrysin and fisetin

“…Furthermore, in mouse model galangin significantly reduces tumor growth by down-regulating H19 expression which strongly corelates with increased cell apoptosis and decreased invasion [50]. Another promising therapeutic effect was observed by Atwa et al [51] during their research regarding galangin effect on HCC in mice model. It was postulated that galangin may also be considered as a synergistic agent in HCC chemotherapy.…”

Influence of Thermal Treatment on the Composition of Alpinia officinarum Rhizome

“…Studies on the prevention and treatment of various types of cancer have been described: esophagus [60], liver [61][62][63], breast [64], lungs [65] or gastric cancer [66].…”

Phytochemical and pharmacological properties of the genus Alpinia from 2016 to 2023

“…Atwa et al investigated the combination cancer therapy of galangin (281) and luteolin (100 mg kg −1 each) with doxorubicin in a chemically induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) rat model and observed signicant decreases of HCC markers compared to healthy rats. 117 Fig. 20 The bioconversion of hispidin and its derivatives (H1-H3) form the 5,6-dehydrokawain.…”