Colorectal cancer is considered a serious public health problem because it occupies third place in cancer incidence worldwide and the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that in 2040 there will be 3.2 million new cases and there will be 1 .6 million deaths annually due to its cause. Hence the need to find new therapeutic options to combat it that are more effective and less toxic.
A new study has identified a natural compound present in the Schisandra chinensis fruit that could be an effective alternative in the treatment of colon cancer. The work has been carried out by a group of international scientists from the University of Portsmouth and the University of Hong Kong, who have discovered that a polyphenol called Schisandrin B (Sch B) has a notable anti-tumor effect on colon cancer.
Schisandra chinensis – also known as magnolia berry or five-taste berry – is native to the forests of northern China, the far east of Russia and Korea. Wild varieties are also found in Japan and it is frequently used in plant-based foods and beverages. The results of the study that reveal its potential have been published in the journal ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science.
Polyphenols have anti-cancer properties
“Conventional cancer therapies often have various side effects and organ toxicities, resulting in a lower quality of life for patients,” said Dr. Murphy Wan of the School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences. University of Portsmouth and lead author.
Additionally, the cost of chemotherapy for colon cancer is high. In the UK alone, bowel cancer is estimated to cost the economy £1 billion.” “Therefore, it is urgent to develop new approaches in cancer treatment that can lead to better clinical outcomes. “Our data have revealed a completely new approach that could offer a safe and economical treatment option,” adds the researcher.
“Our findings also support the hypothesis that Sch B has a similar therapeutic effect against colon cancer, as it does with other types of cancer.”
Previous research has shown that Sch B has anticancer properties in cancers of the liver, breast, ovary, stomach and gallbladder, although until now the mechanism through which this polyphenol exerts its anti-tumor effect in cancer has not been fully understood. of colon.
The researchers used a combination of Raman spectroscopy, RNA sequencing, and molecular and biological experiments. They evaluated the in vivo efficacy using a mouse xenograft model. Sch B decreased cell proliferation and triggered apoptosis in human colon cancer cell lines. These scientists have highlighted the following benefits of Sch B:
- It is a natural polyphenol with a high tumor-destroying capacity and a high degree of specificity.
- It treats different stages of colon cancer, and is especially effective in the late stage of colon cancer.
- It has demonstrated very low toxicity against normal cells compared to currently available drugs.
“Polyphenols have demonstrated significant efficacy in preventing cancer development and exhibiting anti-cancer properties. “They have powerful antioxidant properties that help prevent the spread of cancer cells,” said Professor Hani El-Nezami, Faculty of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, and co-senior author.
“Our findings also support the hypothesis that Sch B has a similar therapeutic effect against colon cancer, as it does with other types of cancer.” “By unraveling the molecular mechanism behind its anti-tumorigenic effect, we have laid the foundation for further exploration of the compound as a potential treatment option.” The team has recommended further investigating the compound as a novel and more specific approach to colon cancer therapy.
