Abstract

Hypoxia Inducible Factor (HIF) is a dimeric protein complex that involves the body's response to hypoxia or low oxygen concentrations. The HIF pathway is induced due to insufficiency in oxygen supply into cells and tissues. It has been proposed that HIF signalling pathway contributes to the development of pathological conditions, particularly cancer. Therefore, there have been attempts to target HIF signalling pathway to inhibit the development of pathological conditions. Plant derived chemicals have shown a promising profile due to their common side effects and significant pharmacological effects. Resveratrol is a naturally occurring polyphenol exclusively found in plants such as grapes and peanuts. Resveratrol has a variety of biological and therapeutic activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, anti-tumor and anti-diabetic. In the present review, we focus on the modulatory effect of resveratrol on the HIF pathway and its relationship with its protective and anti-tumor effects.

Keywords: Cancer therapy, Herbal medicine, Hypoxia inducible factor, Resveratrol