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Polyphenols in plum exhibit anticancer properties

06/12/2019 // Michelle Simmons // Views

Tags: aberrant crypt foci, alternative medicine, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antitumor, cancer cures, cancer treatment, Chlorogenic acid, cisplatin, Colorectal Cancer, disease treatments, food cures, food is medicine, goodfood, goodhealth, goodmedicine, natural cures, natural medicine, natural treatment, neochlorogenic acid, plum, polyphenols, Prunus salicina

Researchers at Texas A&M University looked at the potential of plum (Prunus salicina L.) polyphenols in fighting cancer. They published their findings in the journal Nutrition Research.

• The nutritional prevention of aberrant crypt foci, which are microscopic lesions in the lining of the colon and rectum, by polyphenols may be a crucial step to dietary cancer prevention.
• In the study, the researchers examined the anti-inflammatory and antitumorigenic properties of plum polyphenols, such as chlorogenic acid and neochlorogenic acid, in azoxymethane-treated rats.
• They hypothesized that plum polyphenols could suppress azoxymethane-induced aberrant crypt foci formation through alterations in the protein kinase B (AKT)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway and relative micro-RNA expressions.
• To test this hypothesis, they treated rats with either plum beverage or a control beverage for 10 weeks and administered azoxymethane at the second and third week.
• Results revealed that the consumption of the plum beverage decreased the number of dysplastic aberrant crypt foci by 48 percent and reduced the proliferation of mucosal cells by 24 percent.
• The plum beverage also reduced the activity of glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase in mucosal scrapings, as well as the superoxide dismutase activity in serum.
• Proinflammatory enzymes were also reduced, as well as the expression of AKT and mTOR messenger RNA, phosphorylated AKT, mTOR, and hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha protein levels, and the ratio of the phosphorylated/total protein expression of mTOR.
• The plum beverage also increased the expression of miR-143, which is involved in the regulation of AKT.

In sum, these results suggested that plum polyphenols may fight against colon cancer by targeting the AKT/mTOR pathway and miR-143.

To read more studies on foods that help fight cancer, visit Anticancer.news.

Journal Reference:

Banerjee N, Kim H, Talcott ST, Turner ND, Byrne DH, Mertens-Talcott SU. PLUM POLYPHENOLS INHIBIT COLORECTAL ABERRANT CRYPT FOCI FORMATION IN RATS: POTENTIAL ROLE OF THE MIR-143/PROTEIN KINASE B/MAMMALIAN TARGET OF RAPAMYCIN AXIS. Nutrition Research. October 2016; 36(10): 1105-1113. DOI: 10.1016/j.nutres.2016.06.008

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