Apigenin impedes cell cycle progression at G(2) phase in prostate cancer cells

As a natural flavone, apigenin is abundantly present in vegetables, fruits, oregano, tea, chamomile, wheat sprout and is regarded as a major component of the Mediterranean diet. Apigenin is known to inhibit proliferation in different cancer cell lines by inducing G(2)/M arrest, but it is unclear whether this action is predominantly imposed on G(2) or M phases. In this study, we demonstrate that apigenin arrests prostate cancer cells at G(2) phase by flow cytometric analysis of prostate cancer cells co-stained for phospho-Histone H3 and DNA. Concurrently, apigenin also reduces the mRNA and protein levels of the key regulators that govern G(2)-M transition. Further analysis using chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) confirmed the diminished transcriptional activities of the genes coding for these regulators. Unravelling the inhibitory effect of apigenin on G(2)-M transition in cancer cells provides the mechanistic understanding of its action and supports the potential for apigenin as an anti-cancer agent. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT: [Image: see text] SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12672-022-00505-1.