Small changes in your diet can go a long way in preventing life-threatening diseases like cancer. While cancer development is influenced by a variety of factors such as genetics, environment, lifestyle, and age, the importance of antioxidant-rich foods and plant-based compounds in combating the disease is undeniable.
Researchers from Brazil and Germany recently uncovered promising insights into the cancer-fighting potential of fruits like papaya, passion fruit, and other medicinal plants.
Delving into their molecular properties, scientists explored their role in preventing and treating diseases. The findings of the study were presented at FAPESP Week in Germany. Their work highlights the significant therapeutic benefits of phytochemicals, with a special focus on how plant-based compounds could combat infections and potentially aid in cancer treatments.
Papaya
Papaya not only helps fix your constipation woes and supplies you with generous doses of
essential vitamins like A, B, and C, it also has other miraculous benefits that could guard you against certain deadly diseases.
With monounsaturated fatty acids, proteins, carbs, and high alkaloids like carpaine and pseudocarpaine, and other bioactive compounds, papaya also boasts of anti-cancer effects. According to a study published in BMC, papaya has been linked to chemo-preventive properties, which includes activating tumor-suppressor genes, deactivating oncogene products transcriptionally, and minimizing oxidative damage by acting as free radical scavengers.
Passion fruit holds the key to cancer prevention, especially in its seeds, largely due to the presence of bioactive compounds such as piceatannol and scirpusin B.
Researchers in a study published in Biochemistry and Biophysics Reports explain that Piceatannol, a stilbene derivative found in high concentrations in passion fruit seeds, has various beneficial biological effects, including antitumor properties.
Piceatannol inhibits key cancer-related enzymes, including glyoxalase I (GLO I), which is overactive in many human tumors and plays a role in tumor progression. By inhibiting GLO I, piceatannol can help induce cancer cell apoptosis, making it a potential therapeutic target.
Passion fruit, with its rich polyphenol content, could be a valuable component of cancer prevention strategies, offering a natural and effective approach to inhibit tumor growth and support overall health.
What the researchers in the current study found
The researchers in Brazil, associated with the Food Research Center (FoRC) – one of FAPESP’s Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers (RIDCs) – evaluated the biological effects of non-digestible water-soluble polysaccharides such as pectins on humans.
Pectins, present in papaya, passion fruit, and citrus fruits, form a large portion of the fibre in these fruits and have been linked to a reduction in chronic non-communicable diseases.
These fibres need to be extracted
One challenge in extracting compounds from fruits like papaya is that they ripen quickly, causing the pulp to soften and altering the structure of pectins, which are important for effects like modulating the gut microbiota.
“During fruit ripening, enzymes are expressed that modify the structure of the pectins, reducing their beneficial biological effects. Passion fruit and citrus pectins, on the other hand, must be chemically modified in order to present beneficial activities in the intestine,” João Paulo Fabi, professor at the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of the University of São Paulo (FCF-USP) and coordinator of the project, told Agência FAPESP.
Brazilian researchers have developed methods to extract pectin from the white part of oranges and passion fruit, called the albedo, which is usually thrown away during juice production. They then modify this pectin in the lab to reduce its complexity and enhance its biological activity.
“We already have a prototype for extracting and modifying these pectins on a laboratory scale. The idea is to obtain a product, such as a flour rich in modified pectin, that could be consumed as a supplement or food ingredient,” said Fabi.
The researchers are conducting animal studies to show the relation between modified pectins and increased biological activity.
“These preclinical studies can serve as a basis for the development of clinical trials [with modified pectins] as adjuvants to chemotherapy treatment of colon cancer or even as beneficial modulators of the intestinal microbiota,” the researcher said.
In conclusion, small dietary changes, such as incorporating antioxidant-rich fruits and plant-based compounds, can play a major role in cancer prevention. The latest findings offer promising insights into how natural plant-based compounds could be integrated into treatment strategies.