A substance called indole-3-carbinol (I3C), supplied to our body when we eat broccoli and Brussels sprouts, blocks the proliferation of cancer cells by removing from them a protein necessary for cancer cells to divide, US scientists report in the Cancer Prevention Research magazine.
It is known from previous studies that indole-3-carbinol (I3C) present in cruciferous vegetables has an anti-cancer effect and a generally positive effect on health. Now scientists have investigated exactly how it affects cancer cells.
It turned out that I3C breaks down a protein called Cdc25A – necessary for cancer cells to divide and develop, thus inhibiting the growth of, among others, breast tumors.
Xianghong Zou and colleagues at Ohio State University Medical Center analyzed the effects of I3C on three different breast cancer cell lines and observed the breakdown of Cdc25A. In further experiments, I3C was applied to mice with breast cancer, and tumors were reduced by about 65%. At the same time, scientists noted that I3C was only effective for the typical localization of Cdc25A in breast cancer cells, whereas a mutation to alter the localization of this I3C protein was not effective.
Cdc25A is significantly elevated in about half of breast cancer cases and is usually indicative of poor prognosis, and elevated levels of this protein are seen in cancers of the prostate, liver, esophagus, endometrium and intestine; and also in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
According to the authors of the study, the effect of I3C on cancer cells is very promising, and a better understanding of its mechanism may lead to the introduction of this compound as a dietary supplement and medicine for cancer and other diseases with elevated Cdc25A levels. (PAP)