U.S. researchers identify anti-cancer component in pomegranate juice
U.S. researchers have identified components in pomegranate juice that could stop cancer from spreading.
Researchers at the University of California, Riverside applied pomegranate juice on laboratory-cultured prostate cancer cells that were resistant to testosterone, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) said on its website.
The more resistant a cancer cell is to testosterone, the more prone it is to metastasizing, the report explained.
The researchers found that the pomegranate juice-treated tumor cells that had not died with the treatment showed increased cell adhesion (meaning fewer cells breaking away) and decreased cell migration.
Next, the researchers identified the following active groups of ingredients in pomegranate juice that had a molecular impact on cell adhesion and migration in metastatic prostate cancer cells: phenylpropanoids, hydrobenzoic acids, flavones and conjugated fatty acids.
'Having identified them, we can now modify cancer-inhibiting components in pomegranate juice to improve their functions and make them more effective in preventing prostate cancer metastasis, leading to more effective drug therapies,' said lead researcher Manuela Martins-Green.
'Because the genes and proteins involved in the movement of prostate cancer cells are essentially the same as those involved in the movement of other types of cancer cells, the same modified components of the juice could have a much broader impact in cancer treatment.'
Martins-Green explained that an important protein produced in the bone marrow causes the cancer cells to move to the bone where they can then form new tumors.
'We show that pomegranate juice markedly inhibits the function of this protein, and thus this juice has the potential of preventing metastasis of the prostate cancer cells to the bone,' she said.
The finding could lead to new drug therapies to fight cancer, the researchers said.
The researchers plan to do additional tests in an in vivo model for prostate cancer metastasis to determine whether the same cancer-inhibiting components that work in cultured cells can prevent metastasis without side effects, according to the report.
Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men in the United States. To date, there is no cure for it.
Source: Xinhua
Researchers at the University of California, Riverside applied pomegranate juice on laboratory-cultured prostate cancer cells that were resistant to testosterone, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) said on its website.
The more resistant a cancer cell is to testosterone, the more prone it is to metastasizing, the report explained.
The researchers found that the pomegranate juice-treated tumor cells that had not died with the treatment showed increased cell adhesion (meaning fewer cells breaking away) and decreased cell migration.
Next, the researchers identified the following active groups of ingredients in pomegranate juice that had a molecular impact on cell adhesion and migration in metastatic prostate cancer cells: phenylpropanoids, hydrobenzoic acids, flavones and conjugated fatty acids.
'Having identified them, we can now modify cancer-inhibiting components in pomegranate juice to improve their functions and make them more effective in preventing prostate cancer metastasis, leading to more effective drug therapies,' said lead researcher Manuela Martins-Green.
'Because the genes and proteins involved in the movement of prostate cancer cells are essentially the same as those involved in the movement of other types of cancer cells, the same modified components of the juice could have a much broader impact in cancer treatment.'
Martins-Green explained that an important protein produced in the bone marrow causes the cancer cells to move to the bone where they can then form new tumors.
'We show that pomegranate juice markedly inhibits the function of this protein, and thus this juice has the potential of preventing metastasis of the prostate cancer cells to the bone,' she said.
The finding could lead to new drug therapies to fight cancer, the researchers said.
The researchers plan to do additional tests in an in vivo model for prostate cancer metastasis to determine whether the same cancer-inhibiting components that work in cultured cells can prevent metastasis without side effects, according to the report.
Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men in the United States. To date, there is no cure for it.
Source: Xinhua
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