Molecular Targets of Coffee Phytochemicals Caffeic Acid and Chlorogenic Acid in Chemoprevention

Even though the health benefits and risks of coffee consumption have been debated for decades, epidemiological and animal studies are contradictory. Coffee includes a complex mixture of compounds, including various highly active phenols. Carcinogenesis is a complicated process involving hundreds of genes and gene products that regulate innumerable cellular functions. An emerging opinion is that cancer might be prevented with small molecules that target specific or multiple cancer genes or signaling proteins. Promising small molecule inhibitors include dietary factors-hence the interest in coffee and its role in chemoprevention. However, developing dietary factors or phytochemicals as anticancer agents is based on discovering specific molecular targets. We have shown that phytochemicals with defined mechanisms of action based on molecular target identification can be linked to successful drug discovery. This review chapter focuses on the anticancer effects and molecular targets of coffee, especially the caffeoylquinic acids and their phenolic degradation products.