Effects of flavonoids on the growth and cell cycle of cancer cells

In this study, we investigated the cytotoxicities of flavone (F01), 3-hydroxyflavone (F02), 6- hydroxyflavone (F03), 7-hydroxyflavone (F04), 3,6-dihydroxyflavone (F05), 5,7-dihydroxyflavone (F06) and 5,6,7-trihydroxyflavone (F07) to human cancer cells including P- glycoprotein (Pgp)-expressing HCT15 cells and its multidrug resistant subline, HCT15/CL02 cells. We also examined the effects of those flavonoids on the cell cycle of these cancer cells. HCT15/CL02 cells did not reveal resistance to all the flavonoids tested in comparison with HCT15 cells. In cell cycle analysis, all the flavonoids tested, except F01 and F04, reduced the G0/G1 population of SF295 cells at growth inhibitory concentrations, and increased G2/M (F02, F03 and F06) or S (F05 and F07) populations. In addition, F02 and F03 decreased the G2/M and G0/G1 population, and increased the S and G2/M population in HCT15 cells, respectively. Meanwhile, in HCT15/CL02 cells, F02 and F03 decreased the G0/G1 populations and increased the S population. In conclusion, we deemed that the flavonoids tested had diverse cytotoxic mechanisms, and exerted their cell growth inhibitory or killing activity by distinctive ways in different cells.