1. Honey and cancer: A mechanistic review
- Author
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Muhammad Usman Khan, Mohammad Ali Shariati, Manisha Nigam, Majid Majeed, Mojtaba Heydari, Sadia Hassan, Abhay Prakash Mishra, Muhammad Bilal Hussain, Marwa Waheed, Zarina Mushtaq, and Ahsan Javed
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,Antioxidant ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Anti-Inflammatory Agents ,Antineoplastic Agents ,Apoptosis ,030209 endocrinology & metabolism ,Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine ,Antioxidants ,03 medical and health sciences ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,0302 clinical medicine ,Cell Line, Tumor ,Neoplasms ,Hydroxybenzoates ,Caffeic acid ,Humans ,Medicine ,Gallic acid ,Flavonoids ,030109 nutrition & dietetics ,Nutrition and Dietetics ,Traditional medicine ,business.industry ,food and beverages ,Cancer ,Catechin ,Honey ,Phenolic acid ,medicine.disease ,Oxidative Stress ,chemistry ,business ,Quercetin ,Kaempferol - Abstract
Summary Background Globally, cancer ranks among the most common causes of death. Multiple experimental and clinical studies have investigated anticancer effects of honey with promising results. This study focused on potential background mechanisms of this effect. Methods The current literature was reviewed for potential anticancer pathways which are suggested for honey and its ingredients. Results Flavonoids (kaempferol, catechin, and quercetin) and phenolic acids (caffeic acid and gallic acid) are the most important ingredients of honey with known anti-cancer activity. The main suggested mechanisms for anti-cancer activity of honey and its ingredients are antioxidant, apoptotic, tumor necrosis factor inhibiting, antiproliferative, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory and estrogenic effects. Conclusion This review collates the current scientific understanding on the mechanism of anti-cancer activity of honey.
- Published
- 2019