Luteolin

Luteolin (3′,4′,5′,7′-tetrahydroxyflavone), a polyphenolic compound belongs to flavones subclass of flavonoids. Luteolin is commonly found in plants like celery, green peppers and chamomile tea. Luteolin is one of the major flavonoids present in the flower extract of Hieracium pannosum Boiss, aerial part of Dracocephalum kotschyi, and contributes to the antioxidant potential of the plant. Luteolin possesses antioxidant, anti-inflammatory properties, and exerts anti-tumor potential primarily through apoptosis. Luteolin exerts its apoptotic activity through downregulation of protein kinase B (Akt) pathway leading to caspase mediated apoptosis. Luteolin also resensitizes cancer cells to therapeutics. Luteolin regulates the inflammatory genes and reduces nitric oxide and inflammatory cytokine production. The anti-inflammatory property of luteolin implicates it as a potential therapeutic agent for the neurodegenerative disease like Alzheimer′s disease. In plants, luteolin induces nodulation protein F (nodF) gene.

Luteolin has been used:

• to induce and elucidate the apoptotic pathway in renal cell carcinoma 786-O cells
• as an additive in M9 minimal medium to induce nodF gene expression
• as a reference standard to qualitatively and quantitatively analyse luteolin using reverse phase-high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector (RP-HPLC-DAD)
• as a reaction supplement for β-galactosidase assay
• to elucidate the anti-inflammatory efficacy of luteolin in pseudorabies virus infected RAW264.7 cell line by measuring the anti-inflammatory mediators production and also cell viability and cytotoxicity assay

Hydroxylated flavone derivative, a strong antioxidant and radical scavenger. Suggested to play a role in prevention of cancer, possibly via the inhibition of fatty acid synthase activity.