Cancer prevention and treatment
anticarcinogenic, antimutagenic, antiangiogenic properties

Luteolin in the low micromolar range inhibits the proliferation of normal and tumor cells, as well as in vitro angiogenesis. Inhibition of extensive neovascularization can contribute to prevention of certain chronic diseases, including solid malignancies. Luteolin shows strong antiproliferative activity against different human cancer cell lines (in some hormone-dependent cancer lines such as breast, prostate, and thyroid cancer for instance) (35,36,37,38,39) .

Luteolin inhibits tyrosine kinase, an enzyme involved in tumor cell proliferation. (46) By modulating the activity of enzymes, toxicity and carcinogenicity of various xenobiotics may be affected (40).

Luteolin is an important dietary cancer preventive agent (20,41,42). Several studies demonstrated that the addition of Luteolin to the diet of rats inhibits the clastogenicity of salted, sun-dried, broiled and deep-fried food (43).

Luteolin has strong chemopreventive activity by reducing the formation of carcinogens in food such as heterocyclic amines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and N-nitroso compounds from precursors. Luteolin is able to block the activation of carcinogens, increase the detoxification of carcinogens and stimulate the error-free DNA repair (43).

20-Methylcholanthrene is a strong mutagen that induces fibrosarcoma in 100% of mice fed with it. Dietary supplementation with Luteolin along with 20-methylcholanthrene showed a significant reduction on tumor expression to 60 %. The tumor growth and tumor volume decreased to 85 % compared with the control at the end of the experimental period (44).

Luteolin has potential anticarcinogenic effects against estrogen-induced mammary carcinogenesis (45, 46).

The ability of luteolin to inhibit N-acetlytransferase (see section antibacterial) is relevant also for its antineoplastic properties. Luteolin inhibited the arylamine N-acetyltransferase activity and DNA-2-aminofluorene adduct formation in human and mouse leukemia cells for 24h. (47)

Luteolin displays potent antimutagenic action against some dietary carcinogens (e.g. polychlorinated biphenyl). (48)