Nobiletin

Nobiletin is a flavanoid with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties found in the rind of tangerines. The compound has been observed to inhibit the phosphorylation of MEK (mitogen-activated protein kinase). Nobiletin has also been documented to suppress the expression of MMP-1 (matrix metalloproteinases), MMP-3 and MMP-9 that are involved in the breakdown of the extracellular matrix during tumor metastasis. In vitro studies of Nobiletin on varying cancer cell lines and on the chick egg has shown the anti-angiogenic effects of Nobiletin through down regulation of ERK 1, ERK 2 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase, and transcriptional factors c-Jun and Stat3. The compound also suppressed proliferation, migration and tube formation on matrigel of HUVEC cells stimulated with growth supplement. Nobiletin has demonstrated to attenuate NF-κB transcriptional activation, NO and PGE₂ production, NOS2 (inducible nitric oxide synthase) and Cox-2 (cyclooxygenase-2) expression.