The most recent progress of baicalein in its anti-neoplastic effects and mechanisms

Problems, such as toxic side effects and drug resistance of chemoradiotherapy, target therapy and immunotherapy accompanying the current anti-cancer treatments, have become bottlenecks limiting the clinical benefit for patients. Therefore, it is urgent to find promising anti-cancer strategies with higher efficacy and lesser side effects. Baicalein, a flavonoid component derived from the Chinese medicine scutellaria baicalensis, has been widely studied for its remarkable anti-cancer activity in multiple types of malignancies both at the molecular and cellular levels. Baicalein exerts its anti-tumor effects by inhibiting angiogenesis, invasion and migration, inducing cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest, as well as regulating cell autophagy, metabolism, the tumor microenvironment and cancer stem cells with no obvious toxic side effects. The role of classic signaling pathways, such as PI3K/AKT/mTOR, MAPK, AMPK, Wnt/β-catenin, JAK/STAT3, MMP-2/-9, have been highlighted as the major targets for baicalein exerting its anti-malignant potential. Besides, baicalein can regulate the relevant non-coding RNAs, such as lncRNAs, miRNAs and circ-RNAs, to inhibit tumorigenesis and progression. In addition to the mentioned commonalities, baicalein shows some specific anti-tumor characteristics in some specific cancer types. Moreover, the preclinical studies of the combination of baicalein and chemoradiotherapy pave the way ahead for developing baicalein as an adjunct treatment with chemoradiotherapy. Our aim is to summary the role of baicalein in different types of cancer with its mechanisms based on in vitro and in vivo experiments, hoping providing proof for baicalein serving as an effective and safe compound for cancer treatment in clinic in the future.