Honey has long been used in medicine for different purposes. Only recently, however, its antioxidant property and preventive effects against different diseases, such as cancer, have been highlighted. Chrysin (5,7-dihydroxyflavone) is a natural flavone commonly found in acacia honey. It has previously been shown to be an anti-tumor agent. In this study, we investigated the antiproliferative role of honey or chrysin on human (A375) and murine (B16-F1) melanoma cell lines. The results of the 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and the trypan blue exclusion test showed that both the tested compounds were able to induce an antiproliferative effect on melanoma cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Flow cytometry analysis indicated that cytotoxicity induced by honey or chrysin was mediated by G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and induction of hyperploid progression. Our results suggest that the anti-proliferative effects of honey are due mainly to the presence of chrysin. Chrysin may therefore be considered a potential candidate for both cancer prevention and treatment. Further investigation is needed to validate the contribution of chrysin in tumor therapy in vivo.

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