Flavonoids are polyphenolic compounds that are present in plants. They have
been shown to possess a variety of biological activities at non-toxic conc
entrations in organisms. Galangin, a member of the flavonol class of flavon
oid, is present in high concentrations in medicinal plants (e.g. Alpinia of
ficinarum) and propolis, a natural beehive product. Results from in vitro a
nd in vivo studies indicate that galangin with anti-oxidative and free radi
cal scavenging activities is capable of modulating enzyme activities and su
ppressing the genotoxicity of chemicals. These activities will be discussed
in this review. Based on our review, galangin may be a promising candidate
for cancer chemoprevention. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights rese
rved.