The therapeutic potential of flavonoids in the prevention and treatment of leukemia: a review

Introduction: Leukemia is the main type of blood cancer that is identified by the uncontrolled growth of bloodcells, usually leukocytes, in the bone marrow and subsequently in the peripheral blood, and is considered as themost common malignancy in children under ۱۵ years of age. The main types of leukemia include acute myeloidleukemia (AML), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and chroniclymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Today, various treatments such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, target therapy,bone marrow transplant and immunotherapy are used to treat leukemia. Diet is also recognized as one of themost important modifiable determinants of cancer risk. According to studies, flavonoids, which are an importantpart of the diet, can reduce the risk of developing blood cancer. These compounds are usually found in tea, wine,leafy vegetables, onions, apples, berries, cherries, soybeans, and citrus fruits. The purpose of this study is toinvestigate the effect of flavonoids in the prevention and treatment of leukemiaMethods: This study was conducted by searching the PubMed database and the Google Scholar search engineusing the keywords leukemia, Flavonoids, Blood cancer cells, Apoptosis and several articles were reviewed.Results: Flavonoids exert their anti-leukemia effect through various mechanisms, including apoptosis inductionand cell cycle arrest. Their antioxidant ability also prevents cancer cell proliferation, metastasis andangiogenesis. These plant secondary metabolites can also perform as the sensitizer agent to defeat resistance ofleukemic cells to the therapeutic agentsConclusion: In general, flavonoids are promising and effective compounds in the field of leukemia treatmentdue to their significant safety and low side effects. However, the intracellular signaling cascades created bythese natural compounds still remain unclear, and more studies are needed to better understanding of themolecular targets and cellular mechanisms involved in their cytotoxic action.