Astragalin: A promising herbal compound with broad anticancer potential (Review)

In recent years, compounds that are active ingredients in herbal medicines have been investigated for their ability to treat cancer. Astragalin may exert anticancer effects through anti-inflammatory, anti-glycosylation, anti-adipogenesis, antioxidant and neuroprotective effects; however, there has been no literature review on the specific mechanism of action of astragalin in cancer, to the best of our knowledge. Therefore, the present review searched and reviewed the literature related to astragalin and cancer, and summarized the possible mechanisms. The results revealed that astragalin affects the proliferation, invasion and angiogenesis of cancer cells through participating in signaling pathways, regulating apoptotic proteins, inactivating oncogenes and suppressor genes, as well as the tumor microenvironment, angiogenesis and other mechanisms of action. In turn, this exerts antitumor effects and reverses chemotherapy resistance. Astragalin is expected to serve a greater role in the prevention and treatment of malignant tumors in the future due to its availability, safety and economy, thus providing new hope for global cancer treatment.