A team from University of Cordoba (UCO) and of Maimonides Institute of Biomedical Research of Córdoba (Imibic) tested the protective effect of fermented black garlic extract against inflammation and progression of prostate cancer in a laboratory study using cellular models of human prostate cancer. As the UCO reported yesterday in a press release, the prostate cancer It is the third leading cause of cancer death among men in Spainand can progress from benign hyperplasia (growth of the prostate) to the development of localized prostate cancer, or progress to metastatic castration-resistant cancer, for which few medications are available.
The group OncObesity and Metabolism trained by UCO and Imibic research staff studies the anti-tumor effects of beneficial natural compounds, which can be included in the diet and act against different types of cancer.
Recently, researchers Raúl Luque, Maria Loreta Libero and Antonio Montero studied the beneficial effect of a fermented black garlic extract on prostate cancer cells and, taking into account a previous experiment in mice, where the extract was found to exhibit anti-inflammatory characteristics , and considering the important role of inflammation in prostate cancer, decided to evaluate its effect on cellular models of human prostate cancer.
Cellular models
“We tested the extract in different cellular models of blood cells. human prostate cancer and we identified that it was capable of reducing various parameters of tumor aggressiveness, including cell proliferation”, as the researcher explains. Antonio Montero, who added that “additionally, we found that it did not affect normal prostate cells.” In this way, “this compound could be administered as a dietary supplement, without potential negative effects on healthy prostate cells.”
The group’s principal investigator, Raúl Luquéexplained how, after demonstrating the compound’s anticancer effects, “we wanted to know which molecular pathways were affected by the use of the compound and we were able to verify that key cancer signaling pathways were altered, including those related to inflammation“.
