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. 2023 Mar 31;15(7):1704. doi: 10.3390/nu15071704

Table 2.

Tannins and their roles against cancer proliferation.

Tannins Cancer Effect on Cancer Refs.
Tannic acid (TA) Breast cancer cell lines
(MCF-7,
MDA-MB-231, BT474)


Prostate Cancer Cells
(PC-3 and LNCaP)





Head and Neck Cancer
(FaDu and YD-38)

  • Growing cells remodelled collagen caspase-mediated apoptosis

  • MCF7 cells showed sensitivity to the pro-apoptotic effect of TA.

  • TA induced apoptosis in HER-2 positive cell line BT474


  • Inhibits migration, invasion and ability to form colonies.


  • Expression modulation of cytochromes CYP17A1, 3A4, 2B6, NQO1, GSTM1, and GSTP1.



  • FaDu cells showed cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase.


  • Apoptosis induction with increase of cell population at sub-G1 phase.


  • Both intrinsic and extrinsic cell death was triggered and phosphorylation of kinases of ERK, AKT and PKB

 [135,136,137]







[138]







[139]
Ellagic acid (EA) Human Bladder Cancer Cell Lines (T24, UM-UC-3, 5637, and HT-1376)



Lung Cancer cell line A549

  • EA exhibits in vitro and in vivo anti-tumor activity for human bladder cancer.

  • Inhibits tumor cell proliferation; migration and invasion.

  • Down-regulation of PD-L1 and reduction of angiogenesis.


  • Inhibition of kinase-related pathways such as PI3K/AKT, PDK3, and SPHK.

 [140]








[141,142,143]
EGCG Breast cancer cell line 4T1


Human esophageal squamous carcinoma cells Eca109

Colorectal cancer (DLD-1 and SW480)

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (HSC-3)

  • EGCG induced breast cancer apoptotic cell death at 24 h

  • Caspase 3, 8 and 9 activation.


  • Apoptosis induction by reduced protein expression of adenosine triphosphate binding cassette subfamily G member 2 (ABCG2) and reduction of Bcl-2.


  • Decrease in Wnt-β catenin pathway.






  • Increase in Caspase 3 and 7 activities.

 [144]



[145]






[146]




[147]
Gallic acid Prostate cancer cell lines
(DU145)



Human lung cancer cells.
Calu-6 and A549

Leukemia K562 cell line

  • Toxicity towards prostate cancer cells compared with DU145 cells.

  • Exhibits apoptotic effects in DU145 cells by stimulating a pre-existing apoptotic pathway.


  • Activates mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibition.



  • BCR/ABL kinase inhibition.

  • NF-Κβ inactivation.

  • Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) Down-regulation.

 [127]






[130]



[148]
Procyanidins Human breast cancer cell line MCF7



Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

  • MCF7 cell proliferation inhibition was observed in a concentration/time-dependent manner.

  • Induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis.





  • NSCLC cell proliferation inhibition was observed

  • Induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis



 [149]







[150]
Green tea catechins Human lung cancer cell line PC-9


Human prostate cancer DU145 cell line

  • Inhibited the proliferation of catechins in the order EGCG > ECG (Epicatechin gallate) > EGC (Epigallocatechin)≫EC (epicatechin)


  • Growth reduction of prostate cancer cells DU145


  • Induction of apoptosis, ROS formation in the order ECG > EGCG > EGC > EC
[151]


[152]
Epicatechin (flavon-3-ol monomer units) Human bladder cancer TCCSUP cell line

  • 20% growth inhibition at 20 µg/mL of EC was observed

 [153]