Peach and Plums induce delicious death of Breast Cancer Cells

NEW DELHI, India, July 2010 – Breast cancer cells – even the most aggressive type – died after treatments with peach and plum extracts in lab tests at Texas AgriLife Research recently, and scientists say the results are delicious.

Not only did the cancerous cells keel over, but the normal cells were not harmed in the process, and researchers say the results come from a compound in peaches and plums. AgriLife Research scientists say two phenolic compounds are responsible for the cancer cell deaths in the study, which was published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry.

“It was a differential effect which is what you’re looking for because in current cancer treatment with chemotherapy, the substance kills all cells, so it is really tough on the body,” said Dr. David Byrne, AgriLife Research plant breeder who studies stone fruit. “Here, there is a five-fold difference in the toxic intensity. You can put it at a level where it will kill the cancer cells – the very aggressive ones – and not the normal ones.”

Dr. David Byrne and Dr. Luis Cisneros-Zevallos originally studied the antioxidants and phytonutrients in plums and found them to match or exceed the blueberry which had been thought of as superior to other fruits in those categories.

“The following step was to choose some of these high antioxidant commercial varieties and study their anticancer properties,” Cisneros-Zevallos said. “And we chose breast cancer as the target because it’s one of the ones with highest incidence among women. So it is of big concern.” The World Health Organization reports that breast cancer accounts for 16 percent of the cancer deaths of women globally.

Cisneros-Zevallos, an AgriLife Research food scientist, said the team compared normal cells to two types of breast cancer, including the most aggressive type. The cells were treated with an extract from two commercial varieties, “Rich Lady” peach and “Black Splendor” plum.  “These extracts killed the cancer cells but not the normal cells,” Cisneros-Zevallos said.  A closer look at the extracts determined that two specific phenolic acid components – chlorogenic and neochlorogenic acids- were responsible for killing the cancer cells while not affecting the normal cells, Cisneros-Zevallos said.

The researchers said the two compounds are very common in fruits, but the stone fruits such as plums and peaches have especially high levels.

“So this is very attractive from the point of view of being an alternative to typical chemotherapy which kills normal cells along with cancerous ones,” Byrne added.  The team said laboratory tests also confirmed that the compounds reduced the rate of cancer growth in animals given the compounds.

Byrne plans to examine more fully the lines of the varieties that were tested to see how these compounds might be incorporated into his research of breeding plums and peaches while Cisneros-Zevallos will continue testing these extracts and compounds in different types of cancer and further study the molecular mechanisms involved.

The work documenting the health benefits of stone fruit has been supported by the Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center at Texas A&M University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the California Tree Fruit Agreement.

About California Tree Fruit Agreement

California Tree Fruit Agreement or California PPN represents California’s more than 1,100 growers of fresh peaches, plums and nectarines. Originally established in 1933 and headquartered in Reedley, California, in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley, California PPN administers marketing order programs on behalf of California’s fresh peach, plum and nectarine farmers. In order to spread awareness to industry and consumers on all things related to California stone fruits, California PPN has developed an informative site www.eatcaliforniafruit.com.

About The SCS Group

The SCS Group is an agribusiness consulting firm specializing in marketing, international trade and communications strategy related to food, beverage and agricultural products. The firm has an intimate understanding of the evolving tastes and purchasing patterns of premium foods by the Indian consumer as their disposable incomes grow and they integrate into the global economy. The SCS Group has been a pioneer in nutrition based marketing in the country. Besides, California PPN, the company also represents Fresh California Grapes, California Prunes, USA Pears and Washington Apples among others, in India.

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Rachna Sharma
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