The anticarcinogenic and anticancer effects of the dietary flavonoid, morin: Current status, challenges, and future perspectives

Abstract

Flavonoids constitute one of the most important classes of polyphenols, which have been found to have a wide range of biological activities such as anticancer effects. A large body of evidence demonstrates that morin as a pleiotropic dietary flavonoid possesses potent anticarcinogenic and anticancer activities with minimal toxicity against normal cells. The present review comprehensively elaborates the molecular mechanisms underlying antitumorigenic and anticancer effects of morin. Morin exerts its anticarcinogenic effects through multiple cancer preventive mechanisms, including reduction of oxidative stress, activation of phase II enzymes, induction of apoptosis, attenuation of inflammatory mediators, and downregulation of p‐Akt and NF‐κB expression. A variety of molecular targets and signaling pathways such as apoptosis, cell cycle, reactive oxygen species (ROS), matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT), and microRNAs (miRNAs) as well as signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), NF‐κB, phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3K)/Akt, mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK), and Hippo pathways have been found to be involved in the anticancer effects of morin. In the adjuvant therapy, morin has been shown to have synergistic anticancer effects with several chemotherapeutic drugs. The findings of this review indicate that morin can act as a promising chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic agent.

Evaluation of the protective effects of morin against acrylamide‐induced lung toxicity by biomarkers of oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and autophagy

“…One of the main components of various food crops and medicinal plants (such as mulberry, almond, tea, coffee, osage orange, apple, onion, etc. ), morin is a dietary flavanol and is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases that people suffer from (Gutiérrez et al, 2008; Mottaghi & Abbaszadeh, 2021). It was reported that morin (2′,3,4′,5,7‐pentahydroxyflavone) has anti‐carcinogenic, antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, antiapoptotic, and protective roles against DNA damage (Celik et al, 2020; Kuzu et al, 2019; Shin et al, 2017).…”

Potential of natural flavonols and flavanones in the treatment of ulcerative colitis

“…Morin is a dietary flavonol mainly acquired from the plants of Moraceae family. It has been proven that morin possesses multiple pharmacologic actions, including anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation, anti-cancer, anti-microbe, and anti-diabetes (Kataria et al, 2018;Mottaghi and Abbaszadeh, 2021). In study by Ocete et al (1998), they probed the anti-inflammatory role of morin in TNBS-treated rat colitis.…”

Molecular Mechanistic Pathways Targeted by Natural Compounds in the Prevention and Treatment of Diabetic Kidney Disease

“…No mortality or abnormal manifestations were found in rats given large doses of morin (about 300–2400 mg/kg) for 13 weeks [ 152 ]. The majority of the glycosylated morin administered orally was not absorbed in the small intestine and flowed into the colon, where it is then metabolized by colonic microorganisms to morin aglycones, which are readily absorbed [ 153 , 154 ].…”