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Nutraceuticals show promise in preventing, treating prostate cancer, researchers report |
| By
Jim Winkler |
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Sep 18, 2006 |
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Using sophisticated, three-dimensional computerized molecular modeling techniques, researchers on The University of Toledo Health Science Campus have identified eight nutraceuticals — substances that are food or a part of food, medicinal plants and herbs that provide medical or health benefits — that might help in preventing and treating prostate cancer by inhibiting the activity of an enzyme that promotes tumor growth.
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| Dr. Jerzy Jankun is using sophisticated simulation techniques to identify nutraceuticals that hold promise of blocking the activity of urokinase, an enzyme that has been linked to the development of cancer tumors. |
Dr. Jerzy Jankun, professor of urology and director of the Urology Research Center, and research colleagues Drs. Steven Selman and Eva Skrzypczak, both professors of urology, and Dr. Jacek Aniola, a postdoctoral fellow at the former Medical University of Ohio from 2001 to 2002, screened more than 1,000 computerized versions of the nutraceuticals’ molecular structures from a special database constructed by Jankun.
The researchers gauged the compounds’ anticancer potential by “docking” on a computer screen their molecular structure with that of a computerized molecular model of urokinase. Nutraceutical compounds that were a “good fit” with urokinase — that fit much like a key custom designed for an elusive lock — then underwent laboratory tests to determine their anticancer activities. Jankun’s simulations provide colorful, striking images on a computer screen of how different types of nutraceuticals combine synergistically with urokinase.
Scientists believe urokinase plays an important role in the spreading of prostate cancer through the body. Prostate cancer strikes more than 230,000 U.S. men a year, and more than 30,000 die of it.
The eight nutraceutical compounds that showed promise were antipain, leupeptin, folic acid, rosmarinic acid, lavendustin A, fisein, myricvetin and tolfenamic acid. They are found in spice, berries, tea, vegetables and fruits.
“We found that compounds selected by computational methods indeed inhibit urokinase and sprout formation,” Jankun said. “Our preliminary findings suggest that nutrients selected by computerized search can inhibit urokinase activity and thus reduce angiogenesis,” he said. “A proper diet rich in urokinase-inhibiting nutraceuticals might support the prevention of prostate cancer and be a supportive tool in prostate cancer treatment.”
The findings appear in the August issue of the journal Oncology Reports.
Jankun has been actively involved in computer-aided analysis of ingredients found in nutraceuticals. On a computer, he can simulate experiments usually performed in the lab, eliminating blind alleys and saving time and money.
“In a dinner, one could find approximately 20,000 different chemicals,” Jankun explained. “So it is very difficult to test all of them in the laboratory. We prefer to use a computer to filter them and then test the best fits in the laboratory.”
The studies by Jankun and his colleagues come at a time when there is a growing interest in learning more about nutraceutical ingredients such as antioxidants, and more nutraceuticals are undergoing testing as potential disease fighters.
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