A mechanistic review of the anticancer potential of hesperidin, a natural flavonoid from citrus fruits.

Hesperidin, a phytoactive compound, is an abundant and economical dietary bioflavonoid possessing numerous biological and medicinal benefits. Several studies have strongly proven the significant chemotherapeutic potential of hesperidin. Therefore, this review aims to bring together the existing studies demonstrating hesperidin as a potential anticancer agent with its mode of action reported in the therapeutic strategies for numerous cancer types. Hesperidin acts via modulating multiple pathways involving cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, antiangiogenic, antimetastatic and DNA repair in various cancer cells. Hesperidin has been reported to alter several molecular targets related to carcinogenesis, such as reactive nitrogen species, cellular kinases, transcription factors, reactive oxygen species, drug transporters, cell cycle mediators and inflammatory cytokines. Collectively, this review provides significant insights for the potential of hesperidin to be a strong and promising candidate for pharmaceuticals, functional foods, dietary supplements, nutraceuticals and geared toward the better management of carcinoma.