Food bioactives, apoptosis, and cancer

Abstract

Apoptosis interchangeably referred to as programmed cell death is a key pathway for regulating homeostasis and morphogenesis of mammalian cells and is connected with several diseases, in particular, cancer. It is widely believed that misregulation of this pathway leads to the development of cancer. Reflecting this knowledge, the mechanism of action for many currently used anticancer agents were specifically targeted to regulate the apoptotic pathway further stressing the role of programmed cell death in maintaining normal homeostasis. Another widely accepted concept is the consumption of a variety of colorful foods with strong antioxidant properties. These dietary components also referred to as bioactives would help maintain a healthy body. Although for many of these bioactives exact nutritional benefits are not yet well defined, there is demonstrated scientific evidence suggesting a role for them in cancer prevention. This review summarizes the current knowledge of food bioactives that act through the signaling pathway inducing programmed cell death, thus providing the evidence for these substances in cancer prevention.

Formononetin Promotes Cell Cycle Arrest via Downregulation of Akt/Cyclin D1/CDK4 in Human Prostate Cancer Cells

“…In vivo , formononetin induced a dramatic decrease in tumor weight in the treated mice, further confirming the potential application of formononetin in treating human prostate cancer. A lot of studies demonstrated that the underlying mechanism of dietary phytochemicals-mediated chemopreventive activity may involve the induction of cell cycle arrest [22,23]. In accordance with the previous studies, increased cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase was found in formononetin-treated human prostate cancer cells, which suggests that the induction of cell cycle arrest may be the major mechanism for its anti-proliferation effect.…”

Cellular DNA breakage by soy isoflavone genistein and its methylated structural analogue biochanin A

“…The 4 0 -O-methyl derivative of genistein, biochanin A that is a major isoflavone constituent in red clover (Trifolium pratense), has also been reported to possess cytotoxic properties against cancer cells [11]. Various other polyphenolic compounds such as flavonoids, tannins, curcuminoids, gallocatechins, stilbenes, and anthocyanidins have been implicated as chemopreventive agents [12]. However, the mechanism by which these compounds inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in cancer cells has been the subject of considerable interest.…”

Proanthocyanidins from the American Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) inhibit matrix metalloproteinase‐2 and matrix metalloproteinase‐9 activity in human prostate cancer cells via alterations in multiple cellular signalling pathways

“…It has been shown that these foods contain many 'bioactive' compounds, which both in vitro and in vivo have profound effects on the behaviour of cancerous cells. Some of these effects include increasing rates of apoptosis, decreasing incidences of metastasis and arresting the cell cycle [Liu et al, 2007;Gallo et al, 2008;Pan et al, 2008].One food which has demonstrated many 'bioactive' properties is the American cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon). The phenolic constituents of cranberry fruit include anthocyanins, flavonols, polyflavan-3-ols (proanthocyanidins-PACs) and phenolic acid derivatives.…”