Antitumour effects of anthocyanins: focus on apoptosis

Aberrantly regulated apoptosis is involved in the pathogenesis of several diseases and defective apoptosis leads to uncontrolled cell proliferation and tumorigenesis. Cancer, one of the major causes of death across the world, is a pathologic condition characterized by a dysfunction of the normal mechanisms of cell-cycle regulation either by excessive cell proliferation, inhibited/suppressed apoptosis or both. Conceivably, the carcinogenetic process can be targeted and interrupted along different stages through the induction of apoptosis. Many naturally occurring dietary compounds from our daily consumption of fruits and vegetables have been shown to possess cancer preventive and/or therapeutic effects. Anthocyanins are serious candidates since they are responsible for the cancer protective properties of a diet rich in vegetables and fruit. Numerous anthocyanins indeed show antiproliferative and cytotoxic effects, and more specifically pro-apoptotic activities, in several cancer cell lines and animal tumor models. The aim of the present chapter is to analyze and summarize the most recent advances related to the molecular mechanisms of apoptosis induced by anthocyanins and to delineate the involvement of apoptosis in the activity of anthocyanins at all different stages of the carcinogenetic process.