TABLE 2.
Anticancer effects of the main Mediterranean diet components.
| MD components | Active phytochemicals | In vitro/In vivo | Result of the study | References |
| Extra virgin olive oil | Hydroxytyrosol | In vitro | - Upregulation of the caspase-3 - Increase BAX/Bcl2 |
(54) |
| In vitro | - Inhibition of TrxR1 - G1/S cell cycle arrest |
(48) | ||
| In vitro/In vivo | - Downregulation of epidermal growth factor receptors - Increased the expression of (COLACA1) |
(77, 78) | ||
| Oleuropein | In vitro | - Decreased HIF-α expression | (71) | |
| In vivo | - Repressed the activity NF-κB, STAT3, PI3K/Akt, and β-catenin | (72) | ||
| Tomato | Lycopene | In vitro | - Downregulated the MMP-7 expression - Hindered tumor development and tumor cell invasion |
(86) |
| In vivo | - Decrease the expression of PCNA and β-catenin proteins | (87) | ||
| Onion | Quercetin | In vitro | - G 2 cell cycle arrest | (148) |
| In vitro | - Increased in the expression of CB1-R - Suppression of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signals |
(145) | ||
| In vitro | - Increased in Bax immunoreactivity | (153) | ||
| In vivo | - Increased the apoptosis, cell proliferation and the expressions of p53 and Bax | (151) | ||
| In vivo | - Reduced the LPO, NO, SOD, G6PD, GSH | (153) | ||
| Garlic | Allicin | In vitro | - Decreased in intracellular GSH levels | (187) |
| In vitro | - Increased hypodiploid DNA content - Reduced levels of Bcl-2 - Increased levels of BAX, and cytochrome c |
(188) | ||
| In vivo | - Reduced the levels of phosphorylated STAT3 - Inhibited of Mcl-1, Bcl-2, and Bcl-xL |
(180) | ||
| Oregano | Carvacrol | In vitro | - Increased in BAX - Decreased in Bcl-2, PARP, Survivin increased in the expression of caspase-3 |
(202) |
| In vitro | - The G2/M cell cycle arrest - Reduced Bcl-2 - Phosphorylated p-ERK and p-Akt - Increased BAX and p-JNK expression |
(213) | ||
| Thymol | In vitro | Inhibition of JNK and p38 | (214, 215) | |
| Saffron | Crocin | In vitro | - Targeting MACC1 as a major causal metastasis-inducing gene | (248) |
| In vitro | - Modulation of the Wnt/PI3K pathway - Regulating (CAT)and (MDA) |
(251) | ||
| In vitro | - Induction of apoptosis - Attenuation of the ratio of p-STAT3/STAT3 |
(250) | ||
| In vivo | - Improved survival rate - Inhibited tumor development |
(227). | ||
| Crocetin | In vitro | - Cell cycle arrest - P21 induction - Increasing apoptosis - Lowering DNA repair capability |
(249) | |
| Rosemary | Rosmarinic acid | In vivo | - Reduced the rate of adenocarcinoma formation. - Upregulated TAS - Decreased the expression of IL-6 and MCP-1 |
(282) |
| In vivo | - Suppressing tumor formation - Decreasing lipid peroxidation |
(276) | ||
| Whole grains and cereals | β-glucan | In vitro | - Reducing Bcl2 expression - Upregulation of BAX and caspase-3 level |
(298) |
| β-glucan and quercetin | In vivo | - Reduced TNF-α - Increased the Parabacteroides - Downregulated Hmgcs2, Fabp2, Gpt |
(297) | |
| Fish | n-3 PUFA | In vitro | - Modulated COX metabolism - Reduced the PGE2 in tumors -increasing lipoxins and resolvins |
(308) |
| In vitro | - Downregulated:Wnt/ß-catenin pathway, the MAPK/ERK pathway, and the PI3K-PTEN system | (310) | ||
| In vitro | - Activated pro-apoptotic signaling by interacting with GPCRs | (312) | ||
| In vitro | - Inhibited signal transduction - Reducing cancer cell viability -encouraging apoptosis |
(309) | ||
| Grapes | Resveratrol | In vitro | - Activation of P21 and P53 - Suppression of hippo–YAP - Inhibition of MAPK, (PI3K)/Akt, (NF-β) - Activating protein-1 (AP-1) HIF-1α - Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) |
(325–327) |
| In vitro | - Upregulated BAX, cytochrome c, cleaved caspase-9, and caspase-3 - Reduced Bcl-2 expression levels |
(328) | ||
| In vitro | - Suppressing Wnt/-catenin signaling | (331) | ||
| In vitro | - Downregulation of intracellular AKT1 and IL6 expression | (329) | ||
| Hazelnuts | β-sitosterol | In vitro | - Improved apoptosis via inducing p53 expression | (343) |
| In vitro | - Decreased in Bcl-2 and mRNA -raised BAX protein and mRNA -suppressed cIAP1 | (347) | ||
| In vitro | - Restored oxaliplatin (OXA) - Disrupting the p53–MDM2 interaction - Silencing the NF-κB pathway |
(344) | ||
| In vivo | - Lowering PI3K/Akt expression, -promoting Bad activation - Decreasing Bcl-xl - Increasing cyto-c release |
(362) | ||
| Hot pepper | Capsaicin | In vitro | - The G0/G1 cell cycle arrest - Elevated p21, BAX, and cleaved PARP. |
(358) |