Apigenin and treating bladder cancer: a mini-review of the current literature

Bladder cancer (BC) is a significant global public health concern, affecting a large number of people worldwide. Therefore, discovering effective strategies for its prevention and treatment is crucial to minimise its impact. Apigenin is a flavonoid found in fruits and vegetables. Studies have shown its effectiveness in treating various types of cancer. This review summarises the mechanisms of action and therapeutic effects of apigenin in treating BC. According to our findings, apigenin affects various signalling pathways and numerous protein families, including p53, caspase, PARP, cytochrome c, Bcl-2, PI3K/Akt, ERK1/2, JNK, AP-1, NF-κB, MAPK, MEKK1, and TRAIL, leading to cell death and inhibition of proliferation and migration in cancer cells. Thus, apigenin may represent a promising therapeutic approach for BC. However, the encouraging preclinical data should be evaluated in clinical settings through further studies, with appropriate methods and enhanced drug delivery systems.

膀胱癌（Bladder cancer, BC）是一项不容忽视的全球公共卫生问题，全球范围内受其影响的人群数量庞大。因此，探索有效的膀胱癌预防与治疗策略，以最大限度减轻其危害，具有至关重要的意义。芹菜素（apigenin）是一类广泛存在于水果与蔬菜中的黄酮类化合物，已有研究证实其在多种癌症的治疗中展现出良好效果。本综述系统总结了芹菜素用于治疗膀胱癌的作用机制与治疗效应。研究结果显示，芹菜素可调控多条信号通路与众多蛋白家族，包括p53、半胱天冬酶（caspase）、聚腺苷二磷酸核糖聚合酶（PARP）、细胞色素c、B细胞淋巴瘤-2（Bcl-2）、PI3K/Akt、细胞外调节蛋白激酶1/2（ERK1/2）、c-Jun氨基末端激酶（JNK）、激活蛋白1（AP-1）、核因子κB（NF-κB）、丝裂原活化蛋白激酶（MAPK）、丝裂原活化蛋白激酶激酶1（MEKK1）以及肿瘤坏死因子相关凋亡诱导配体（TRAIL），最终诱导癌细胞死亡，并抑制癌细胞的增殖与迁移。由此可见，芹菜素有望成为膀胱癌极具前景的治疗手段。不过，目前这些令人振奋的临床前研究数据，仍需通过后续研究在临床场景中开展验证，需采用适宜的研究方法并优化药物递送系统。