Potential of baicalein in the prevention and treatment of cancer: A scientometric analyses based review

Cancer is one of the deadliest diseases worldwide which kills approximately 10 million people annually. Although, substantial improvements have been made in the treatment modalities of this disease, radio-resistance, chemo-resistance, and adverse side-effects limit their potential. It is now well-established that natural products provide a less toxic and efficacious alternative in developing drugs for the treatment of cancer. Hence, we investigated the potential of baicalein, a natural compound isolated from the roots of Scutelleria baicaleinsis, which targets wide spectrum of molecular alterations involved in the progression of cancer. At the molecular level, this compound has shown to exhibit anti-inflammatory and anti-cancerous properties via modulation of multiple cell signaling pathways and transcription factors, including PI3K/Akt/mTOR, Wnt/β-catenin, MAPK, NF-κB, Smad4, Notch 1/Hes, Nrf2/Keap 1, AMPK, Src/Id1, ROS signaling, miR 183/ezrin, and Shh signaling pathways. Overall, this review provides a strong evidence for the potential of baicalein as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of different malignancies.