Therapeutic potential of quercetin on human breast cancer in different dimensions

There has been an extensive range of incidence and mortality of breast cancer (BC), and the comprehensively available treatments for BC have not been completely successful in achieving satisfactory outcomes up to date.

Recently, we are watching intense attention paid to the utilization of natural compounds as a novel therapeutic strategy for cancer treatment. Quercetin, a dietary flavonol in a large group of commonly consumed foods, is widely illustrated to apply inhibitory effects on cancer progression through several mechanisms including apoptosis enhancement, cell cycle arrest, metastasis and angiogenesis inhibition, antioxidant replication and estrogen receptor modulation.

We reviewed the most relevant papers published from 2009 to 2018 (except 15 articles), using "pub med" and "web of science" and the search terms "Quercetin"; "Breast cancer"; "Flavonoid"; "Apoptosis"; "Cell cycle"; "chemotherapy"; "Drug resistance"; "Metastasis; "Oxidative stress", "Breast cancer receptors" and "Quercetin derivatives". We selected studies on the association of quercetin with breast cancer in different dimensions.

Despite the remarkable number of studies on quercetin's efficacy, multiple aspects of this herbal compound have not been clarified well and this review provides a summarized update of the recent evidence on biologically available efficacies of quercetin which would establish a further biological basis for the potential therapeutic acquisition of quercetin as an anticancer drug.

Basic, epidemiological and genetic studies point to the potential role of quercetin in the treatment of breast cancer, but randomized and controlled trials are of great importance to establish the clinical efficacy of quercetin in ill or at-risk subjects.