Tangeritin is an O-polymethoxylated flavone that is found in tangerine

Tangerine

__notoc__The tangerine is an orange-colored citrus fruit which is closely related to the Mandarin orange . Taxonomically, it should probably be formally named as a subspecies or variety of Citrus reticulata; further work seems to be required to ascertain its correct scientific name...

 and other citrus

Citrus

Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...

 peels. Tangeritin strengthens the cell wall and protects it from invasion .

Although few randomized, double-blind human studies have been done, animal research shows the potential of tangeritin as a cholesterol lowering agent. A hamster study showed potential protective effects against Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...

. Tangeritin shows potential as an anti cancer agent. In in vitro studies, tangeritin appears to counteract some of the adaptations of cancer cells. Tangeritin induced apoptosis

Apoptosis

Apoptosis is the process of programmed cell death that may occur in multicellular organisms. Biochemical events lead to characteristic cell changes and death. These changes include blebbing, cell shrinkage, nuclear fragmentation, chromatin condensation, and chromosomal DNA fragmentation...

 in leukemia cells while sparing normal cells. It counteracts tumor suppression of gap junction

Gap junction

A gap junction or nexus is a specialized intercellular connection between a multitude of animal cell-types. It directly connects the cytoplasm of two cells, which allows various molecules and ions to pass freely between cells....

 intercellular signaling

Cell signaling

Cell signaling is part of a complex system of communication that governs basic cellular activities and coordinates cell actions. The ability of cells to perceive and correctly respond to their microenvironment is the basis of development, tissue repair, and immunity as well as normal tissue...

. It acts to freeze cancer cells in phase G1

G1 phase

The G1 phase is a period in the cell cycle during interphase, before the S phase. For many cells, this phase is the major period of cell growth during its lifespan. During this stage new organelles are being synthesized, so the cell requires both structural proteins and enzymes, resulting in great...

 of the cell cycle, preventing replication. In summary, in vitro studies show antimutagenic, antiinvasive and antiproliferative effects. One caveat is that tangeritin appears to counteract the anticancer drug tamoxifen

Tamoxifen

Tamoxifen is an antagonist of the estrogen receptor in breast tissue via its active metabolite, hydroxytamoxifen. In other tissues such as the endometrium, it behaves as an agonist, hence tamoxifen may be characterized as a mixed agonist/antagonist...

and to suppress the activity of natural killer cells.

Tangeritin is commercially available as a dietary supplement.