Ellagic Acid - A Dietary Polyphenol with Anticancer Activity that Deserves More Consideration

Abstract

Ellagic acid (EA) the principal polyphenol of pomegranate (<em>Punicca granatum</em>) is renowned for its beneficial therapeutic activity in several diseases including cancer. Studies have shown that EA exerts a carcinopreventive effect on many cancer cells, inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, and limiting neovascularization and cell migration. In animal models, EA could reduce tumor development, number and size. Research detected that EA exerts its activity on cancer cells through several signaling pathways, without affecting the function and viability of normal cells. While the investigation of the carcinopreventive effect of EA has been carried out in great detail <em>in vitro</em>, research on animal models and clinical studies is rather scanty, leaving the impression that its potential value as a carcinopreventer is somewhat neglected. This work aims to review the effect of EA on different types of cancer and to attract researchers’ attention to the potential of EA to serve as an adjuvant to anti-cancer drugs.