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Updated: Oct 11, 2025

Biosynthesis of a Flavonol from a Flavanone by Establishing a One-pot Bienzymatic Cascade
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Biosynthesis of a Flavonol from a Flavanone by Establishing a One-pot Bienzymatic Cascade

Published on: August 14, 2019

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Role of Flavonoids as Epigenetic Modulators in Cancer Prevention and Therapy

Nishat Fatima1, Syed Shabihe Raza Baqri2, Atrayee Bhattacharya3

  • 1Department of Chemistry, Shia Postgraduate College, Lucknow, India.

Frontiers in Genetics
|December 3, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Flavonoids, natural compounds, can modify cancer cell epigenetics. Understanding these epigenetic alterations is key to developing novel flavonoid-based anti-cancer drugs and therapies.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Oncology

Background:

  • Epigenetic regulation involves heritable changes in gene expression without altering DNA sequence.
  • Dysregulated epigenetic processes, including DNA methylation and histone modifications, are linked to cancer development.
  • Targeting the epigenome represents a promising strategy for cancer treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the epigenetic modulations induced by flavonoids.
  • To explore the anti-tumor activities associated with these flavonoid-mediated epigenetic changes.
  • To highlight the potential of flavonoids in developing novel cancer therapeutics.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on flavonoids and epigenetics in cancer.
  • Analysis of research on DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNA alterations by flavonoids.
  • Compilation of data on the anti-tumor effects of flavonoids through epigenetic modulation.

Main Results:

  • Flavonoids exhibit the capacity to modulate key epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation and histone modifications.
  • These epigenetic alterations induced by flavonoids contribute to their observed anti-tumor activities.
  • Specific flavonoids show potential in reversing aberrant gene expression profiles in cancer cells.

Conclusions:

  • Flavonoids hold significant therapeutic potential for cancer treatment by targeting epigenetic pathways.
  • Further research into flavonoid-epigenetic interactions can guide the development of effective epigenetics-based cancer drugs.
  • Combinatorial therapies involving flavonoids may enhance anti-cancer efficacy.
Keywords:
DNA methylationcancerepigeneticsflavonoidshistone modificationsnon-coding RNAs

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