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Apigenin and Its Role in Health


Author: apt. Shafina Putri Kamila, S.Farm. | Editor-in-Chief: Sandy Akbar Nusantara, S.T., M.B.A. | Published: August 13, 2026


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Apigenin is one of the flavonoid compounds that is easily found in plants and everyday foods. This compound can be extracted from various types of vegetables and fruits, such as celery, oranges, onions, chamomile flowers, and many more. In addition to being abundant in nature, apigenin is also known to have various biological benefits, including as antibacterial, antiviral, antiproliferative, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiangiogenic, and even anticancer1. This makes research into exploring the biological activities and developing methods for utilizing apigenin a highly sought-after topic.

Chemical Characteristics of Apigenin

Apigenin () has the chemical formula . This compound is classified as a flavonoid in the flavone group and is the aglycone of various other natural glycosides. Structurally, apigenin has three hydroxyl groups located at positions C5, C7, and C4' on ring B (B ring).

Apigenin is a compound that is lipophilic, has low bioavailability, and is prone to inactivation in acidic environments. Apigenin is classified as BCS (Biopharmaceutical Classification System) Class II because it has low solubility in water but has sufficiently high permeability in the intestines.

Source of Apigenin

Apigenin can be found in various herbal plants, fruits, and vegetables, such as parsley, onion (Allium cepa), celery (Apium graveolens), oregano, fruits from the citrus group (such as oranges), Asteraceae (Artemisia, Achillea, Matricaria, Tanacetum), Lamiaceae (Sideritis, Teucrium), and chamomile flowers (Matricaria chamomilla) which are often used as herbal tea.

The source of apigenin with the highest content is parsley (Petroselinum crispum) with an apigenin content of about and black pepper (Piper nigrum) with content of about . In addition, there is also celery which has a significant apigenin content, which is about 3 per kilogram.

In plants, apigenin can also be found in its conjugated form, including:

  1. Apiin (apigenin 7-O-apioglucoside): can be isolated from parsley (parsley) and celery.
  2. Apigetrin (apigenin 7-glucoside): found in Teucrium gnaphalodes.
  3. Vitexin (apigenin 8-C-glucoside): present in mung bean (mung bean) and bamboo leaves.
  4. Isovitexin (apigenin 6-C-glucoside): present in mung bean (mung bean).
  5. Rhoifolin (apigenin 7-O-neohesperidoside): isolated from the leaves of Rhus succedanea and Citrus grandis.
  6. Schaftoside (apigenin 6-C-glucoside 8-C-arabinoside): isolated from Arisaema heterophyllum.
  7. Acacetin (4'-methoxy 5,7-dihydroxyflavone): found in Turnera diffusa and Chrysanthemum morifolium, as well as various other plants3.

The Role of Apigenin in the World of Health

Apigenin is known to play a role in various biological activities that have been tested both in vitro and in vivo, including as an antibacterial, antiviral, antiproliferative, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-angiogenic, and even anti-cancer1. The biological activities of apigenin are mostly related to antioxidant effects, antigenotoxic effects, and its ability to scavenge free radicals3.

A.      Anti-cancer

Currently, apigenin is quite interesting attention regarding its role in the health world due to its effects that are quite significant against cancer cells compared to several flavonoids with a similar structure but with relatively low toxicity3.

According to various tests, apigenin is known to have anticancer effects against several types of cancer including breast cancer, cervical cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, skin cancer, and so on6. Regarding its mechanisms, there are several mechanisms known to be anticancer mechanisms of apigenin. One of them is by influencing the process of angiogenesis of tumor cells. Apigenin can inhibit that process by targeting signaling pathway of HiF-1α/HIF8. Regarding other mechanisms, apigenin is also known to induce cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 stage and checkpoint S7.

However, when used alone, the effectiveness of apigenin as an anticancer agent is not perfect and is less high, therefore, apigenin is more recommended to be used as a co-treatment along with conventional anticancer drugs such as cisplatin and paclitaxel7.

B.      Neuroprotective

Still related to its antioxidant activity, apigenin has also been tested for its potential to reduce the effects of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease. This is because apigenin is known to be able to cross the blood brain barrier and inflammation in neurons (neuroinflammation) is also a major point of various neurological diseases often associated with oxidative stress9 Based on several published tests, apigenin has the potential to be a neuroprotective agent for neurodegenerative diseases, but this still needs to be researched and developed further to confirm its clinical efficacy9,10.

C.     Skin Inflammatory Disease

The anti-inflammatory role of apigenin has been found to alleviate inflammation in the skin by reducing the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Apigenin also reduces inflammatory cytokine expression by suppressing the AP-1, MAPK, and NF-κB pathways in keratinocytes. Apigenin can also protect cells from cell death due to oxidative stress. These factors make apigenin a compound with potential for use in the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases and related cancers11.


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References

1.       Kim, J. K., & Park, S. U. (2020). Recent insights into the biological functions of apigenin. PubMed, 19, 984–991. https://doi.org/10.17179/excli2020-2579

2.       Allemailem, K. S., Almatroudi, A., Alharbi, H. O. A., AlSuhaymi, N., Alsugoor, M. H., Aldakheel, F. M., Khan, A. A., & Rahmani, A. H. (2024). Apigenin: A Bioflavonoid with a Promising Role in Disease Prevention and Treatment. Biomedicines, 12(6), 1353. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12061353

3.       Ali, F., Rahul, Naz, F., Jyoti, S., & Siddique, Y. H. (2016). Health functionality of apigenin: A review. International Journal of Food Properties, 20(6), 1197–1238. https://doi.org/10.1080/10942912.2016.1207188

4.       Sanaye, P. M., Mojaveri, M. R., Ahmadian, R., Jahromi, M. S., & Bahramsoltani, R. (2022). Apigenin and its dermatological applications: A comprehensive review. Phytochemistry, 203, 113390. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phytochem.2022.113390

5.       Javadi, B., & Sobhani, Z. (2024). Role of apigenin in targeting metabolic syndrome: A systematic review. PubMed, 27(5), 524–534. https://doi.org/10.22038/ijbms.2024.71539.15558

6.       Patel, D., Shukla, S., & Gupta, S. (2007). Apigenin and cancer chemoprevention: Progress, potential and promise (Review). International Journal of Oncology, 30(1), 233–245. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijo.30.1.233

7.       Yan, X., Qi, M., Li, P., Zhan, Y., & Shao, H. (2017). Apigenin in cancer therapy: anti-cancer effects and mechanisms of action. Cell & Bioscience, 7(1), 50. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13578-017-0179-x

8.       Naponelli, V., Rocchetti, M. T., & Mangieri, D. (2024). Apigenin: Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Potential against Cancer Spreading. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 25(10), 5569. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25105569

9.       Charrière, K., Schneider, V., Perrignon-Sommet, M., Lizard, G., Benani, A., Jacquin-Piques, A., & Vejux, A. (2024). Exploring the role of apigenin in neuroinflammation: Insights and implications. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 25(9), 5041. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25095041

10.  Zhang, N., Nao, J., & Dong, X. (2024). Efficacy and Safety of Natural Apigenin Treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease: Focus on In vivo Research Advancements. Current Neuropharmacology, 23(6), 728–754. https://doi.org/10.2174/1570159x23666241211095018

11.  Yoon, J. H., Kim, M., & Cho, J. Y. (2023). Apigenin: A Therapeutic Agent for Treatment of Skin Inflammatory Diseases and Cancer. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24(2), 1498. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24021498

 

 Editorial Team:

  1. Rafi Rif'atul Rizki, S.I.Kom.