A new study suggested that natural compounds present in apple, red grapes and turmeric play significantly to starve the prostate cancer cells. The compounds stop the growth of the tumor.
According to Medical News Today, some past studies hinted some compounds in some specific plant-based foods to decrease the chances of the prostate cancer. Now the co-author of the recent research study, Stefano Tiziani, and colleagues tried a unique and high-throughput screening technique to know 142 natural compounds. Stefano Tiziani is the assistant professor of the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Texas. The researchers tried to unveil a way to starve the prostate cancer cells.
The researchers tested all these 142 compounds to explore the most effective among them. They tried to identify those natural compounds that can halt the prostate cancer cells' growth. They derived prostate cancer cells from humans and mice and tested the collected compounds on these cells. The research study is published in the popular journal Precision Oncology.
The researchers performed the tests of the compounds individually and also in combination. They identified three key compounds that played effectively in halting the growth of the prostate cancer cells. The three effective compounds are curcumin, ursolic and resveratrol.
A bright yellow curcumin is a natural compound present in turmeric, and ursolic acid can be found in the apple peel. Another important natural compound resveratrol is present in berries and red grapes. The researchers combined the ursolic acid with either resveratrol or curcumin and tested it in the mice with induced prostate cancer. They noticed that the compounds stopped the necessary uptake of the important amino acid glutamine by the prostate cancer cells.
The uptake of this amino acid helped the prostate cancer cells to grow. Now the prevention of the glutamine's uptake forced the cells to starve. This starvation ultimately led to the death of the prostate cancer cells and simultaneously halted the growth of the tumor in the mice.
One important fact is natural compounds curcumin, resveratrol, and ursolic acid caused no toxic effects on mice. The researchers found that the concentrations of the natural compounds in the mice were higher than they are normally present and consumed through the diet. However, the findings of the study have indicated promising outcome to prevent and treat the prostate cancer cells.
Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in the U.S. The American Cancer Society stated that 161,360 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the current year and nearly 26,730 persons will die from it. But, the latest research explores three natural compounds to prevent and treat the prostate cancer cells.
Stefano Tiziani opines that the nutrients contain the anti-cancer properties and they are available. The increment of these properties' concentration level in the healthy diet must deliver an effect on the prostate cancer cells. In a word, this latest research study suggested that three natural compounds play an effective role to block the growth of the said cancer cells.