Substances in fruits and vegetables are being researched to see how they prevent the development of tumors and inhibit the division of cancer cells.
Chemists from Ural Federal University, Institute of Organic Synthesis (Ural Branch of RAS), Shantou Medical University (China) and Sri Venkateswar University (India) have discovered how substances in fruits and vegetables prevent the development of tumors, stop the formation of malignant tumors and inhibit the division of cancer cells, according to a news release.
Scientists selected 30 compounds from fruits and vegetables and conducted a series of experiments. Using computer simulations, researchers determined which groups of compounds and how they affect proteins in cells, according to the release. A description of the compounds and the results of the study are published in the journal Scientific Reports.
“To create powerful new drugs that will target tumors, we need to determine how food compounds affect cellular proteins in cancer prevention and therapy,” Grigory Zyryanov, leading researcher at the laboratory of organic synthesis of the UrFU Center for Chemical and Pharmaceutical Technologies Innovation and professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said in the release.
The release said scientists have found that silybinin, flavopyridol, oleandrin, ursolic, oleanolic, alpha- and beta-boswellic acids, triterpenoid and guggulsterone have broad-spectrum anti-cancer properties. These compounds and enzymes are found in non-starchy plants such as broccoli, cabbage, spinach, cauliflower carrots, lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, leeks, rutabaga and turnips.
Natural alkaloids, monoterpenes, organosulfides, carotenoids, flavonoids, phenolic acids, stilbenes and isoflavones also contribute to cancer prevention and therapy, the release said. Specific individual natural substances or their combinations are needed for specific cancer therapies. For example, resveratrol (found in abundance in grape skins) or pterostilbene (present in blueberries) inhibit stem cell metastasis in breast cancer. Indole-3-carbinol (cabbage is its main source) has a wide range of anti-tumor effects and protects cells in breast, colon, cervical, and endometriosis cancers, according to the release.
Researchers selected the ten most promising compounds for further study, according to the release.
The results obtained so far are the basis for the development of new drugs with greater efficacy and targeting of cancer cells without side effects for the body, researchers said.
