Compound in passion fruit could be used to treat stomach cancer, Chinese study finds
- Seeds of the fruit contain piceatannol, which was found to inhibit cell proliferation and boost autophagic activity
- Study also suggests the compound may be more effective when combined with a targeted cancer drug
Passion fruit is rich in nutrients and antioxidants and has been found to have anti-inflammatory properties.
Piceatannol is also present in Asian legumes, grapes, white tea trees as well as rhubarb, which is commonly used in traditional herbal medicines.
The new study, by researchers from the Peking University Cancer Hospital and Institute, suggested that piceatannol could potentially be used as a treatment for stomach, or gastric, cancer.
Findings of the study were published on October 20 in the peer-reviewed journal Science China Life Sciences, which is co-sponsored by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
The researchers found that piceatannol could stimulate the activity of a protein called Beclin-1, which is critical in the regulation of autophagy – clearing out old and damaged cells – and cell death, making it effective in inhibiting gastric cancer cells, according to the paper.
The study involved in vitro experiments on human gastric cancer cell lines and in vivo experiments on mice.