Researchers From Japan Discovered That The Juice Of This Fruit May Inhibit Lung Cancer In Mice
Lung cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States, following skin and breast cancers– with over 236,000 cases diagnosed in 2022 alone, according to the American Cancer Society.
The most significant risk factor includes smoking, with 80% to 90% of all lung cancer deaths being linked to smoking in the U.S. Other contributing factors include secondhand smoke, the inhalation of radon– a naturally occurring gas– and familial history of lung cancer.
Although, some scientists have begun studying how what we eat in our diets, such as various foods and dietary supplements, can have carcinogenic effects. The CDC has declared that taking beta-carotene supplements, along with smoking, can lead to an increased risk of lung cancer.
And on the flip side, researchers have also been working to understand if dietary modifications can help prevent cancer from forming in the first place.
Epidemiological data has supported the association between higher fruit intake and a lower risk of chronic disease onset.
This is particularly due to the bioactive properties present in fruits such as grapes, pomegranates, and blueberries.
More recently, though, a novel study conducted by researchers from Okayama University in Japan has found that the juice of Actinidia arguta– an edible vine fruit cultivated in Japan known as “Sarunashi”– may actually help prevent and reduce lung cancer.
Actinidia arguta has been known to be one of the richest sources of vitamin C and polyphenols. And in the past, scientists have shown that “Sarunashi” juice (sar-j) has an inhibitory effect on inflammation, mutagenesis (gene mutations), and mouse skin tumorigenesis– or the initial formation of a tumor.
During those experiments, the components of Actinidia arguta responsible for these effects were identified as being heat-sensitive and water-soluble phenolic compounds– in other words, a small group of molecules, known as secondary metabolites, which are produced in plants.
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Afterward, the researchers then proposed that one specific polyphenolic compound, known as isoQ, was a constituting component that had anticarcinogenic– or cancer preventative– potential.
That hypothesis is what ultimately inspired the Okayama research team, led by Dr. Arimoto-Kobayashi, to undertake this study.
In it, they sought to understand the effects of Actinidia arguta juice and the constituting component isoQ on NNK-induced lung tumorigenesis in mice. NNK is a known cancer-causing compound commonly found in tobacco products.
Then, the team worked to identify the underlying mechanisms which produce the anti-tumorigenic effects of the fruit’s juice.
So, the researchers first induced tumor growth in mice via NNK. Afterward, they conducted a series of experiments against control groups to study the unfolding effects of sar-j and isoQ.
And remarkably, the results were quite promising. Among the mice that received NNK injections and subsequent oral doses of A. arguta juice, there was a significantly lower number of tumor nodules in the animals’ lungs as compared to the control group– which only received NNK injections.
Additionally, the oral administration of component isoQ was also found to reduce the number of mouse lung tumor nodules.
On top of these findings, the team discovered the mechanism that underlies this effect. After designing a series of experiments to analyze the effects of sar-j and isoQ on mutagenesis, it was found that sar-j actually mediates antimutagenic effects via the acceleration of DNA repair.
One final key discovery was the fact that sar-j was shown to suppress a critical protein involved in cancer signaling known as Akt.
This finding is monumental since Akt has been known to become over-activated in numerous forms of human cancers– not just lung cancer.
“Sar-j and isoQ reduced NNK-induced lung tumorigenesis. Sar-j targets both the initiation and growth or progression during carcinogenesis, specifically via anti-mutagensis, stimulation of alkyl DNA adduct repair, and suppression of AKt-mediated growth signaling,” explained Katsuyuka Kiura, one of the study’s co-authors.
“IsoQ might contribute in part to the biological effects of sar-j via suppression of Akt phosphorylation, but it may not be the main active ingredient.”
Before any of these findings can be applied to mainstream cancer therapies, though, the next step will be to conduct human clinical trials. However, the constituting components of sar-j have now been solidified as having significant chemoprevention potential.
To read the study’s complete findings, which have since been published in BMC Genes and Environment, visit the link here.
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