Title:Natural Polyphenols and their Synthetic Analogs as Emerging Anticancer Agents
Volume: 18
Issue: 2
Author(s): Ramon Colomer, Ariadna Sarrats, Ruth Lupu and Teresa Puig
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Clinical trials, EGCG, FASN, green tea polyphenols, mouse models, receptor tyrosine kinases, signaling pathways,
targets.
Abstract: Polyphenols are a structural class of natural and synthetic organic chemicals which contain
phenol units. Numerous epidemiological, preclinical and clinical studies have strongly supported their
benefical effects for human health. Polyphenols group include molecules of utterly different complexity
grades, ranging from simple molecules to highly polymerized structures. They are classified into:
Phenolic acids, Flavonoids, Lignans and the less common Stilbenes. This work first intends to review
the current studies on classification, chemical composition and metabolism of polyphenols. Then, we
have reported cancer preventive and treatment effects of polyphenols, especially focused in the green
tea polyphenol (GTP) (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). Polyphenols such as EGCG and their
synthetic analogs interfere in carcinogenesis by modulating and regulating multiple signaling pathways
and transcription factors, membrane-associated receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), fatty acid metabolism
and lipid rafts or methylation together with other emerging targets such as proteasome, telomerase
and cancer stem cells. Here, we have reviewed several potential molecular targets of
polyphenols (mainly EGCG and EGCG analogs) and their anticancer effects in cellular and animal
models of different human carcinomas and we have also listed Phases I and II clinical trials conducted
to study the antitumor properties of GTPs.
