January 9, 1997 University of Illinois at Chicago Office of Public Affairs
Contact: Jody Oesterreicher (312) 996-8277 [email protected]
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE by Science magazine Thursday, Jan. 9, 1997 4 p.m. Eastern time
NOTE: A press conference with members of the UIC research team will be held Thursday, Jan. 9 at 2:30 p.m. Eastern time in room 177 of UIC's College of Pharmacy, 833 S. Wood St., Chicago.
UIC RESEARCHERS FIND SUBSTANCE THAT MAY PREVENT CANCER
Consuming a substance found in red wine, grapes and other foods may prevent cancer, University of Illinois at Chicago researchers report in the Jan. 10 edition of Science magazine.
The researchers discovered the substance as part of a project to test plants from around the world for their ability to prevent cancer. With 600 plants tested over five years and 400 to go, lead investigator John Pezzuto, director of the program for collaborative research in UIC's College of Pharmacy, said, "Of all the plants we've tested for cancer chemopreventive activity, and all the compounds we've seen, this one has the greatest promise."
The tests initially were conducted with a compound extracted from a legume (Cassia quinquangulata) collected in Peru. After the compound showed promise in early tests, researchers isolated and identified the active agent as resveratrol. "The big surprise was resveratrol, because it occurs in more than 70 plants, including several that are found in the human diet," Pezzuto said.
A rich source of resveratrol is the grape and grape products. Smaller but appreciable concentrations of the compound are found in red, white and rose wines, with the highest levels in red wine which already has been reported to lower the risk of heart disease. Mulberries and peanuts are among other foods that contain resveratrol.
Using tumor-bearing mice, UIC researchers tested resveratrol's ability to prevent cancer. The compound proved effective against three major stages of cancer development: initiation (DNA in a cell is mutated), promotion (the affected cell becomes a cancer cell) and progression (cancer cells form a tumor and spread). Tests showed that resveratrol is an effective anti-inflammatory agent and inhibitor of cyclooxygenase, which plays a key role in tumor cell growth.
"What's unusual is that anti-inflammatory agents often are solely anti-tumor promoters. Resveratrol has the added benefit of demonstrating anti-initiation and anti-progression activity," Pezzuto said.
The UIC research unit discovered resveratrol's ability to inhibit cancer progression by treating human cancer cells (promyelocytic leukemia) with the compound. The diseased cells reverted to normal cells after treatment with resveratrol. Anti-initiating and anti-promoting activities were demonstrated with other model systems.
UIC researchers also are encouraged by the absence of toxic side effects from the compound. "Toxicity usually is a problem with any agent that shows an effect, but with resveratrol there was strong activity with no signs of toxicity," Pezzuto said.
Human clinical studies are needed to determine if resveratrol can prevent cancer in humans, but researchers elsewhere have conducted studies showing that resveratrol can affect human metabolism. "That's one step beyond what we know about many other compounds," Pezzuto said.
Cancer is the largest single cause of death in both men and women, each year claiming more than 6 million lives worldwide. The ingestion of chemical agents that reduce the risk of developing cancer is among the most direct ways to reduce cancer and cancer deaths. Should resveratrol prove safe and effective in humans, Pezzuto said, its abundance in nature would likely make it an affordable cancer prevention agent.
The National Cancer Institute funds UIC's testing of plants for their ability to prevent cancer.
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