黄酮类化合物是一种天然的多酚化合物，被认为是安全、多效性和易获取的分子。它广泛分布于各类食物产品，如水果、蔬菜以及绿茶、葡萄酒和可可制品等饮料中。许多研究已经报道了黄酮类化合物对不同类型肿瘤（包括实体肿瘤）的抗癌潜力。黄酮类化合物的化学预防作用归因于多种机制，包括调节自噬、诱导细胞周期停滞、细胞凋亡和抗氧化防御。尽管黄酮类化合物具有显著的抗癌活性，但由于其生物药理特性差（如溶解度低、跨生物膜（肠道和血脑屏障）渗透性有限以及生物系统中的稳定性问题），其临床转化受到限制。纳米颗粒系统是一种被广泛应用于提高植物药物生物药性和治疗效果的方法。本综述讨论了有前景的黄酮类化合物在不同癌症中的显著抗癌潜力，以及利用纳米颗粒系统进一步提高其纳米抗氧化活性，从而增强载入有前景的黄酮类化合物的抗癌活性。尽管已经建议使用各种植物来源的次生代谢产物，包括黄酮类化合物，用于治疗癌症，但还需进一步谨慎的研究来证明它们的转化价值。©2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Flavonoids are natural polyphenolic compounds considered safe, pleiotropic, and readily available molecules. It is widely distributed in various food products such as fruits and vegetables and beverages such as green tea, wine, and coca-based products. Many studies have reported the anticancer potential of flavonoids against different types of cancers, including solid tumors. The chemopreventive effect of flavonoids is attributed to various mechanisms, including modulation of autophagy, induction of cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and antioxidant defense. Despite of significant anticancer activity of flavonoids, their clinical translation is limited due to their poor biopharmaceutical attributes (such as low aqueous solubility, limited permeability across the biological membranes (intestinal and blood-brain barrier), and stability issue in biological systems). A nanoparticulate system is an approach that is widely utilized to improve the biopharmaceutical performance and therapeutic efficacy of phytopharmaceuticals. The present review discusses the significant anticancer potential of promising flavonoids in different cancers and the utilization of nanoparticulate systems to improve their nanoantioxidant activity further to enhance the anticancer activity of loaded promising flavonoids. Although, various plant-derived secondary metabolites including flavonoids have been recommended for treating cancer, further vigilant research is warranted to prove their translational values.© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.