Luteolin Induced-growth Inhibition and Apoptosis on Human Esophageal SCC Line Eca109 Cells in vitro

Esophageal cancer (EC) is one kind of high incidence of upper digestive tract cancers worldwide. GLOBOCAN 2008 has reported an estimated 481645 new cases and 406533 deaths occurred for both sexes (Globocan, 2008). Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is relatively rare in western world but is the most common type of EC in individuals with East Asian or African ancestry. Dietary habit and lifestyle play important roles in developing EC. Most epidemiological evidence has shown tobacco and alcohol have roles in this cancer (Oze et al., 2010; Gao et al., 2011), however, high consumption of vegetables and fruits could reduce the risk of EC (Mayne et al., 2001; Veugelers et al., 2006; Fan et al., 2008). Flavonoids are improtant phytochemicals characterized by a common benzo-γ-pyrone chemical structure and found widely in different plants, especially in genus Citrus (Nogata et al., 2006; Rutaceae et al., 2006; Uehara et al., 2012). Flavonoids exhibit various beneficial properties in a multitude of disease states, including cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disorders and cancer (Gao et al., 2012; Master et al., 2012; McCullough et al., 2012). Luteolin, 3’,4’,5,7-tetrahydroxyflavone, is a common dietary flavonoid can be found in avariety of vegetables, fruits, and medicinal herbs(Sasaki et al., 2003). Luteolin has been shown to possess multiple biological activities such as anti-inflammation, anti-oxidant and anti-cancer