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World J Pharmacol. Mar 9, 2015; 4(1): 160-167
Published online Mar 9, 2015. doi: 10.5497/wjp.v4.i1.160
Chemoprevention of gastrointestinal cancers by natural honey
Mohamed MM Abdel-Latif
Mohamed MM Abdel-Latif, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Assiut University, Assiut 71526, Egypt
Author contributions: Abdel-Latif MMM solely contributed to this work.
Conflict-of-interest: The author has no conflict of interest related to the manuscript.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Dr. Mohamed MM Abdel-Latif, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Assiut University, Assiut 71526, Egypt. abdel-latif@mailcity.com
Telephone: +20-88-2331711 Fax: +20-88-2332776
Received: November 12, 2014
Peer-review started: November 13, 2014
First decision: December 26, 2014
Revised: January 3, 2015
Accepted: January 18, 2015
Article in press: Janurary 20, 2015
Published online: March 9, 2015
Abstract

Gastrointestinal cancers are the most common human cancers in both men and women worldwide. Several epidemiological and experimental studies suggest a relationship between gastrointestinal cancers risk and dietary factors. Natural honey has been widely used in traditional medicine for many centuries to treat a wide range of ailments and complaints. Honey contains various components that exhibit wide activities including antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anticancer properties. The anticancer effects of honey are mediated via diverse mechanisms, including inhibition of proliferation, induction of apoptosis, suppression of free radicals and modulation of inflammatory signalling pathways. The present review assesses the chemopreventive effects of natural honey and its components in the modulation of gastrointestinal cancers and its modes of action in the prevention of the development of gastrointestinal tumors. Honey can be an approach as a cancer-preventive strategy which merits further experimental and clinical research in the near future.

Keywords: Honey, Gastrointestinal, Cancer, Chemoprevention, Anticancer

Core tip: Natural honey has been widely used in traditional medicine to treat a wide range of ailments and complaints. Honey contains various components that exhibit wide activities including antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anticancer properties. The present review assesses the chemopreventive effects of natural honey and its components in the modulation and prevention of gastrointestinal cancers.