Importance of Thymoquinone, Sulforaphane, Phloretin, and Epigallocatechin and Their Health Benefits

Abstract: Natural products have a broad diversity of multidimensional chemical formations, which play an important role, and indicate the crucial nature as a golden source for gaining herbal drug discovery. Thymoquinone performs various functions and impacts anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-diabetic. It shows the significant influence on the treatment of different cancer types, such as bone cancer, bladder cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and colon cancer. Sulforaphane has anticancer and antimicrobial properties and anticarcinogenic constituents. Phloretin is a dihydrochalcone flavonoid that indicates a potent antioxidant activity in peroxynitrite scavenging and restraint of lipid peroxidation. The most important health benefits of phloretin are anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity and its impacts on cancer cells. Its antioxidant activity occurs through a reducer of lipid peroxidation, the scavenger of ROS, and its anti-inflammatory impacts happen through a declined level of cytokines, adhesion molecules, chemokines, suppression of NF-κβ transcription, and decreased expression of COX- 2 and iNOS. Phloretin impacts cancer cells through cytotoxic and apoptotic activity and activation of immune cells against the tumor. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate is the most abundant tea polyphenol, followed by other polyphenols, namely, catechin, epicatechin, epigallocatechin, and epicatechin-3-gallate. This review manuscript mentions some important medical health advantages and pharmaceutical effects of thymoquinone, sulforaphane, phloretin, and epigallocatechin.