Punica granatum and its therapeutic implications on breast carcinogenesis: A review

Abstract

Punica granatum has a recorded history of pharmacological properties which can be attributed to its rich reservoir of phytochemicals. Investigations in recent years have established its tremendous potential as an antitumorogenic agent against various cancers including breast cancer, which is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women. The plausible role of Punica as a therapeutic agent, as an adjuvant in chemotherapy, and its dietary implications as chemopreventive agent in breast cancer have been explored. Mechanistic studies have revealed that Punica extracts and its components, individually or in combination, can modulate and target key proteins and genes involved in breast cancer. Our earlier finding also demonstrated the role of methanolic extract of pomegranate pericarp in reducing proliferation in breast cancer by binding to estrogen receptor at the same time not affecting uterine weight unlike estradiol or tamoxifen. This review analyses other plausible mechanisms of Punica in preventing the progression of breast cancer and how it can possibly be a therapeutic agent by acting at various steps of carcinogenesis including proliferation, invasion, migration, metastasis, angiogenesis, and inflammation via various molecular mechanisms.

Evidence of pomegranate methanolic extract in antagonizing the endogenous SERM, 27‐hydroxycholesterol

“…Additionally, our earlier studies have shown that PME, as such in ovariectomized mice, can bring down levels of LDL, TC and TG similar to the observed action of 17‐β‐estradiol while maintaining the HDL levels .…”

“…Limer and Speirs reported that high consumption of phytoestrogens, which are very weak mimics of natural oestrogens, is associated with a lower incidence of breast cancer. Pomegranate (PME) fruit is such an entity, and several studies have been conducted to evaluate the efficacy of this fruit endowed with a very high antioxidant activity antiproliferative, anti‐invasive, antiaromatase and proapoptotic agents in various breast cancer cell lines and animal models . We have earlier demonstrated that the methanolic extract of PME can act as a SERM in breast cancer cell lines and ovariectomized mice and had a strong lipid‐lowering action, that is, it decreased the plasma levels of total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) in ovariectomized animals and was comparable to tamoxifen and estradiol.…”

Possible use of Punica granatum (Pomegranate) in cancer therapy

“…Punica granatum has been considered to be pharmacologically active due to the presence of abundant phytochemicals [29,30]. The different parts of the plant consist of various chemical compounds that impart crucial roles in the prevention of many diseases [25].…”

Zellregulatoren gegen Krebs: Granatapfel, Curcuma, Brokkoli

“…Das ist insbesondere deshalb interessant, da der Androgenrezeptor im hormonrefraktären Stadium häufig überexprimiert ist [57]. Granatapfel-Polyphenole verringern zudem die Bildung von Androgensynthese-E n z y m e n i n h o r m o n r e f r a k t ä r e n K r e b s z e l l e n [ 3 liche Stufen der Krebsentstehung Einfluss nimmt (Proliferation, Invasion, Migration, Metastasen, Angiogenese, Entzündungen) [83].…”