Fisetin, a Promising Anti-Cancer Flavonoid: A Brief Review of Its Biological Effects and Molecular Mechanisms in Lung Cancer Prevention and Therapy.

Introduction: Experimental evidence has demonstrated that compounds of natural origin possess adjuvant anti-cancer properties, and their combination with anti-cancer drugs has the potential to reduce drug resistance in cancer treatment exhibiting chemoprotective effects.

Method: Fisetin (FIS), a flavonoid-structured polyphenolic compound found in various vegetables and fruits, is used as a yellow/ochre coloring agent and shows diverse pharmacological and biological effects. FIS can modulate various signaling pathways in relation to oxidative stress, inflammation, cell proliferation, metastasis, and angiogenesis. Thus, FIS is proposed to be a beneficial agent for preventing and treating numerous human malignancies. Awareness of natural compound action mechanisms paves the way for scientific communities, healthcare organizations, and the pharmaceutical industry to develop and introduce new drugs to treat diseases. In this paper, the general properties of FIS were highlighted first, and later, using the Scopus database, all related scientific literature regarding the studies that investigated the effects of FIS on lung cancer was collected.

Results: The critical points were extracted from the research works, and possible effects and molecular mechanisms of FIS on cancer cells were reviewed, and a comprehensive discussion about the roles of this phytochemical on different signaling pathways that were very crucial in lung cancer cells was provided.

Conclusion: Finally, the current challenges and future perspectives of lung cancer prevention and therapy approaches using FIS were addressed.