The anticancer potential of the dietary polyphenol rutin: Current status, challenges, and perspectives

• Published in: Critical reviews in food science and nutrition Vol. 62; no. 3; pp. 832 - 859
• Main Authors: Farha, Arakkaveettil Kabeer, Gan, Ren-You, Li, Hua-Bin, Wu, Ding-Tao, Atanasov, Atanas G., Gul, Khalid, Zhang, Jia-Rong, Yang, Qiong-Qiong, Corke, Harold
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Taylor & Francis 2022; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Angiogenesis; Animals; Anticancer activity; Anticancer properties; antineoplastic agents; Antineoplastic Agents - therapeutic use; Antioxidants - therapeutic use; Antitumor agents; Apoptosis; Autophagy; Bioavailability; Cancer; Carcinogenesis; Carcinogens; Cell cycle; Cell proliferation; chemoprevention; Chemotherapy; Cytokines; dietary polyphenol; Dietary supplements; drug therapy; food science; Functional foods & nutraceuticals; Humans; Inflammation; Intestinal microflora; intestinal microorganisms; Intestine; Kinases; mammals; metabolism; Metabolites; Metastases; metastasis; Microbiota; nanoparticle; Neoplasms - drug therapy; Neoplasms - prevention & control; phosphotransferases (kinases); Plants (botany); Polyphenols; Polyphenols - pharmacology; Polyphenols - therapeutic use; Reactive oxygen species; Reagents; Rutin; Rutin - therapeutic use; safety; Transcription factors; dietary polyphenol; nanoparticle; metabolism; rutin; safety; Anticancer activity
• ISSN: 1040-8398; 1549-7852; 1549-7852
• DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2020.1829541

Rutin is one of the most common dietary polyphenols found in vegetables, fruits, and other plants. It is metabolized by the mammalian gut microbiota and absorbed from the intestines, and becomes bioavailable in the form of conjugated metabolites. Rutin exhibits a plethora of bioactive properties, making it an extremely promising phytochemical. Numerous studies demonstrate that rutin can act as a chemotherapeutic and chemopreventive agent, and its anticancer effects can be mediated through the suppression of cell proliferation, the induction of apoptosis or autophagy, and the hindering of angiogenesis and metastasis. Rutin has been found to modulate multiple molecular targets involved in carcinogenesis, such as cell cycle mediators, cellular kinases, inflammatory cytokines, transcription factors, drug transporters, and reactive oxygen species. This review summarizes the natural sources of rutin, its bioavailability, and in particular its potential use as an anticancer agent, with highlighting its anticancer mechanisms as well as molecular targets. Additionally, this review updates the anticancer potential of its analogs, nanoformulations, and metabolites, and discusses relevant safety issues. Overall, rutin is a promising natural dietary compound with promising anticancer potential and can be widely used in functional foods, dietary supplements, and pharmaceuticals for the prevention and management of cancer.