Brock research finding steps to take in stalking cancer
Research at Brock University recently uncovered a link between a common herb and the reduction of lung cancer cell growth.
A study into rosemary began with Evangelina Tsiani’s interest in polyphenols — chemical compounds found in plants we eat. Tsiani, an associate professor in Brock’s department of health sciences, wanted to know more about the polyphenols, sometimes called antioxidants, found in the herb.
Polyphenols contain tiny nutrients believed to help to prevent diabetes, cancer, heart disease and other conditions.
“We have some evidence that rosemary extract stops the growth of cancer cells,” Tsiani said. “The question is, how is this done? What is the mechanism of action to inhibit cancer cell proliferation?”
Working with graduate student Jessy Moore and colleagues from several other Brock departments, Tsiani set out to see if and how rosemary extract stops the growth of cancer cells.
In its lab, the research team cultivated the type of cancer cells that are found in up to 80 per cent of all lung cancer cases, and represent the most aggressive form of the disease. They then exposed these cells to rosemary extract, and studied the extract’s impacts on a signalling pathway called Akt, and on certain proteins within the pathway.
The team found that the rosemary extract: stopped the survival and spread of cancer cells, and enhanced a process called apoptosis (pre-programmed cell death); blocked the Akt signalling pathway that would have caused the cancer cells to multiply; and stopped certain proteins in the cancer cells from being activated.
Their results appear in the study “Rosemary extract reduces Akt/ mTOR/p70S6K activation and inhibits proliferation and survival of A549 human lung cancer cells,” published in the journal Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy.
“These finding are very important,” Tsiani said. “Our data suggest that rosemary extract may have considerable anti-tumour and chemoprevention properties in lung cancer, and deserves further systematic investigation. Finding drugs or chemicals that inhibit these pathways is the focus of many researchers.”
Tsiani cautioned it is too soon to tell people to eat more rosemary to prevent or stop lung cancer. The next step is to determine which specific chemicals or components of rosemary extract are responsible for these anti-cancer effects.
Rosemary contains two major polyphenols: carnosic acid and rosmarinic acid.
“These two polyphenols might be the main chemicals that have the anti-cancer effects,” said Tsiani, “and we have initiated studies exploring this possibility.” — Cathy Majtenyi is the research communications and media relations specialist at Brock University.