Abstract
Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally and is responsible for
about 10 million deaths per year. Several therapeutic options are available currently to
treat this deadly disease by targeting various enzymes, receptors, signaling pathways,
and nucleic acids. Development of drug resistance, new oncogenic proteins, and
recurrence demands sustained discovery of new therapeutic options. Flavonoids are a
class of plant polyphenols consisting of 15 carbon skeletons with two benzene rings
linked together to a heterocyclic pyrone ring. So far, more than 4,000 flavonoids of
different types have been discovered from nature. Flavonoids exhibit several biological
activities, including cancer. Quercetin (QCT) is one of the most studied flavonoids that
belongs to the flavones subclass. In the recent five years, immense efforts have been
made in discovering the anticancer aspect of QCT. This book chapter summarizes the
anticancer activities of QCT on various cancer cells (in vitro) and tumors (in vivo)
reported in the last five years.
Keywords: Anticancer, Cancer, Flavonoids, Natural Products, Quercetin.