RESUMO
Theaflavins are a class of natural products extracted from black tea or green tea, with significant anti-tumor effects on gastric cancer, liver cancer, breast cancer and other tumors. Theaflavins were once considered as the new products for anticancer therapy. However, the anti-tumor mechanism of theaflavins involves a variety of biological processes, and the regulation is complex. Therefore, this article summarizes the role of theaflavins in promoting tumor cell apoptosis, inducing tumor cell mitotic arrest and regulating tumor immunity, and reviews the inhibition of tumorigenesis and growth through MAPK, PI3K/AKT, Hedgehog, NF-κB, JAK/STAT and Wnt/β-Catenin signal pathways, in order to provide new ideas for cancer treatment and anti-cancer drug development.