Resverstrol in Red Wine Prevents Breast Cancer
Development in Laboratory Study
Prevents first step when estrogen starts process that
leads to cancer by blocking formation of DNA adducts
July
7, 2008 – Resverstrol, that substance found in red wine that so often
gets that drink publicity as a health benefit, has been found in a
laboratory study to suppresses the abnormal cell formation that leads to
most types of breast cancer, suggesting a potential role for the agent
in breast cancer prevention.
"Resveratrol has the ability to prevent the first
step that occurs when estrogen starts the process that leads to cancer
by blocking the formation of the estrogen DNA adducts,” according to
Eleanor G. Rogan, Ph.D., a professor in the Eppley Institute for
Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases at the University of Nebraska
Medical Center.
“We believe that this could stop the whole
progression that leads to breast cancer down the road," she said.
Rogan was the lead author of the report that was
published in the July 2008 issue of Cancer Prevention Research, a
journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Resveratrol is a natural substance in red grapes
and in some other red fruits, but is also sold in extract form as a
dietary supplement at most major drug stores.
For the current study, Rogan and colleagues
measured the effect of resveratrol on cellular functions known to
contribute to breast cancer.
The formation of breast cancer is a multi-step
process which differs depending on type of disease, a patient's genetic
makeup and other factors. However, scientists know that many breast
cancers are fueled by increased estrogen, which collects and reacts with
DNA molecules to form adducts. Rogan and colleagues found that
resveratrol was able to suppress the formation of these DNA adducts.
"This is dramatic because it was able to be done
with fairly low concentrations of resveratrol to stop the formation of
these DNA adducts in the cells we studied," said Rogan.
Although researchers experimented with up to 100
µmol/L of resveratrol, the suppression of DNA adducts was seen with 10
µmol/L. A glass of red wine contains between 9 and 28 µmol/L of
resveratrol.
The researchers also found that resveratrol
suppressed the expression of CYP1B1 and the formation of
2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, two known risk factors for breast
cancer.
Rogan said resveratrol works by inducing an enzyme
called quinone reductase, which reduces the estrogen metabolite back to
inactive form. By making estrogen inactive, resveratrol decreases the
associated risk.
The current study was conducted in laboratory
cultures, and will need to be confirmed in larger human trials, Rogan
said.
About American Association for Cancer Research The mission of the American Association for Cancer Research is to
prevent and cure cancer. Founded in 1907, AACR is the world's oldest and
largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer
research. The membership includes more than 28,000 basic, translational
and clinical researchers; health care professionals; and cancer
survivors and advocates in the United States and 80 other countries.
AACR publishes five major peer-reviewed journals:
Cancer Research; Clinical Cancer Research; Molecular Cancer
Therapeutics; Molecular Cancer Research; and Cancer Epidemiology,
Biomarkers & Prevention. Its most recent publication and its sixth major
journal, Cancer Prevention Research, is dedicated exclusively to cancer
prevention, from preclinical research to clinical trials. The AACR also
publishes CR, a magazine for cancer survivors and their families,
patient advocates, physicians and scientists. CR provides a forum for
sharing essential, evidence-based information and perspectives on
progress in cancer research, survivorship and advocacy.
http://www.aacr.org/
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July
7, 2008 – Resverstrol, that substance found in red wine that so often
gets that drink publicity as a health benefit, has been found in a
laboratory study to suppresses the abnormal cell formation that leads to
most types of breast cancer, suggesting a potential role for the agent
in breast cancer prevention.