Letter to the editor
Recent updates on neuropharmacological effects of luteolin
Gaurav Gupta1, Juhi Tiwari1, Rajiv Dahiya2, Rakesh Kumar Sharma3, Anurag Mishra3, Kamal Dua4,5
1School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jaipur National University, Jagatpura 302017, Jaipur, India
2Laboratory of Peptide Research and Development, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago, West Indies
3School of Pharmacy, Suresh Gyan Vihar University, Jagatpura 302017, Jaipur, India
4Discipline of Pharmacy, Graduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
5School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shoolini University, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, 173229, India
EXCLI J 2018;17:Doc211
Dear Editor,
Luteolin (3,4,5,7-tetrahydroxyflavone) is a naturally found flavone, which is obtained from numerous plant species (Kim and Kim, 2012[5]). Chemically, it has a C6-C3-C6 structure that contains two benzene rings and one oxygen-containing ring with a C2-C3 carbon double bond. Structure-activity studies (SAS) have revealed that the presence of hydroxyl moieties at carbons 5, 7, 3 and 4 positions of the luteolin structure and the presence of the 2-3 double bond are accountable for its numerous pharmacological activities (Lin et al., 2008[8]). Luteolin is naturally found as a glycosylated form, is existing in several types of fruits and vegetables, such as pepper, thyme, broccoli, and celery (Lopez-Lazaro, 2009[10]). Various research studies have confirmed that luteolin possesses antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects; though, a coherent review of the scientific literature related to its neuroprotective effects is still lacking.
In this letter, conclusive evidences have been presented for the potent antioxidant activity of luteolin reported in various in vitro and in vivo studies (Table 1(Tab. 1); References in Table 1: Wang et al., 2017[19]; Kim et al., 2017[6]; Zhang et al., 2017[25]; Tambe et al., 2017[16]; Shen et al., 2016[15]; Wang et al., 2016[18]; Zhen et al., 2016[26]; Burton et al., 2016[2]; Yu et al., 2015[24]; Lamy et al., 2015[7]; Fu et al., 2014[4]; Bandaruk et al., 2014[1]; Xu et al., 2014[20]; Patil et al., 2014[12]; Zhu et al., 2014[27]; Yan et al., 2014[22]; Wang et al., 2015[17]; Xu et al., 2014[21]; Nazari et al., 2013[11]; Yoo et al., 2013[23]; Liu et al., 2013[9]; Qiao et al., 2012[13]; Qiao et al., 2012[14]). Luteolin also reduces inflammation in brain tissues and in regulating different cell signaling pathways (Dirscherl et al., 2010[3]). Oxidative stress and neuro-inflammation are possible drivers of neurodegeneration. Thus, a chemical moiety like luteolin with potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity could be used as a therapeutic agent for neurodegenerative diseases.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
References
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Qiao H, Zhang X, Zhu C, Dong L, Wang L, Zhang X, et al. Luteolin downregulates TLR4, TLR5, NF-κB and p-p38MAPK expression, upregulates the p-ERK expression, and protects rat brains against focal ischemia. Brain Res. 2012;1448:71-81.15.
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Tambe R, Patil A, Jain P, Sancheti J, Somani G, Sathaye S. Assessment of luteolin isolated from eclipta alba leaves in animal models of epilepsy. Pharm Biol. 2017;55:264-8.17.
Wang F, Gao F, Pan S, Zhao S, Xue Y. Luteolin induces apoptosis, g0/g1 cell cycle growth arrest and mitochondrial membrane potential loss in neuroblastoma brain tumor cells. Drug Res. 2015;65(2):91-5.18.
Wang H, Wang H, Cheng H, Che Z. Ameliorating effect of luteolin on memory impairment in an alzheimer's disease model. Mol Med Rep. 2016;13:4215-20.19.
Wang Q, Wang H, Jia Y, Pan H, Ding H. Luteolin induces apoptosis by ros/er stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in gliomablastoma. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol. 2017;79:1031-41.20.
Xu J, Wang H, Ding K, Zhang L, Wang C, Li T, et al. Luteolin provides neuroprotection in models of traumatic brain injury via the Nrf2-ARE pathway. Free Radic Biol Med. 2014;71:186-95.21.
Xu J, Wang H, Lu X, Ding K, Zhang L, He J, et al. Posttraumatic administration of luteolin protects mice from traumatic brain injury: Implication of autophagy and inflammation. Brain Res. 2014;1582:237-46.22.
Yan T, Li L, Sun B, Liu F, Yang P, Chen T, et al. Luteolin inhibits behavioral sensitization by blocking methamphetamine-induced MAPK pathway activation in the caudate putamen in mice. PloS One. 2014;9(6):e98981.23.
Yoo DY, Choi JH, Kim W, Nam SM, Jung HY, Kim JH, et al. Effects of luteolin on spatial memory, cell proliferation, and neuroblast differentiation in the hippocampal dentate gyrus in a scopolamine-induced amnesia model. Neurol Res. 2013;35:813-20.24.
Yu TX, Zhang P, Guan Y, Wang M, Zhen MQ. Protective effects of luteolin against cognitive impairment induced by infusion of abeta peptide in rats. Int J Clin Exp Pathol. 2015;8:6740-7.25.
Zhang JX, Xing JG, Wang LL, Jiang HL, Guo SL, Liu R. Luteolin inhibits fibrillary beta-amyloid1-40-induced inflammation in a human blood-brain barrier model by suppressing the p38 MAPK-mediated NF-κB signaling pathways. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland). 2017;22(3).26.
Zhen JL, Chang YN, Qu ZZ, Fu T, Liu JQ, Wang WP. Luteolin rescues pentylenetetrazole-induced cognitive impairment in epileptic rats by reducing oxidative stress and activating PKA/CREB/BDNF signaling. Epilepsy Behav. 2016;57(Pt A):177-84.27.
Zhu L, Bi W, Lu D, Zhang C, Shu X, Lu D. Luteolin inhibits SH-SY5Y cell apoptosis through suppression of the nuclear transcription factor-κB, mitogen-activated protein kinase and protein kinase B pathways in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated cocultured BV2 cells. Exp Ther Med. 2014;7:1065-70.
Table 1: Recent updates on neuropharmacological effects of luteolin