‘Cinderella’ of the medicinal plant world could be the answer to better breast cancer treatment

A plant which had previously been dismissed as not being medically useful, could prove to be a hero in disguise, after scientists discovered it not only stops the growth of breast cancer cells but does not affect normal cells-a potential first for future cancer chemotherapy treatment.

The ground breaking research by the team of Professor Alessandra Devoto at Royal Holloway, University of London, in collaboration with Dr. Amanda Harvey at Brunel University London, and Professor Nicholas Smirnoff at University of Exeter, incubated the Arabidopsis thaliana leaves, treated with the plant hormone Jasmonate (a substance discovered in jasmine that boosts plant responses to stress), with breast cancer cells.

They found that that although the cancer cells stopped growing, the normal cells remained unaffected. This is significant as use of the plant in breast cancer treatment could potentially lead to a quicker recovery time and less secondary effects for patients subjected to chemical treatment.

They have also discovered molecular mechanisms associated with the changes in the breast cancer cells that will allow development of further new treatments.

Professor Devoto, from the Department of Biological Sciences at Royal Holloway, has been conducting this research since 2006 and has just published a paper on the findings.

She said: “Along with my colleagues from Brunel and Exeter, I am truly excited to have discovered the amazing impact this unassuming plant has on breast cancer cells. It just proves that even plants with a non-medicinal pedigree can work for cancer treatment.

“The plant is very much like the ‘Cinderella’ of the medicinal plant world-no one thought it was so special, but it has shown its true colors via our research. The discovery has important implications in developing treatments for cancer as well as other diseases.

Dr. Harvey and Professor Smirnoff added: “Combined with recent progress in metabolic engineering and biotechnology, our approach will also facilitate production and analysis of bioactivities of valuable metabolites from plants on an industrial scale. We are looking forward to continuing our collaboration with Professor Devoto to identify the plant-derived chemicals that interfere with breast cancer cells as well as with other diseases and to progress this research by gathering more funding to benefit society more widely.”

A new study by scientists at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and colleagues published Oct. 30, 2020, in Science, showed that mice exposed to potentially lethal levels of total body radiation were protected from radiation damage if they had specific types of bacteria in their gut. Radiation absorbed in a clinical setting or during an accidental exposure can cause damage to tissues. In this study, the bacteria mitigated radiation exposure and enhanced the recovery of blood cell production as well as repair of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

The researchers noted that only an ‘elite’ set of mice had a high abundance of two types of bacteria, Lachnospiraceae and Enterococcaceae, in their guts that strongly countered the effects of the intense radiation. Importantly for humans, these two types of bacteria were found to be abundant in leukemia patients with mild GI symptoms who underwent radiotherapy.

The study showed that the presence of the two bacteria led to an increased production of small molecules known as propionate and tryptophan. These metabolites provided long-term protection from radiation, lessened damage to bone marrow stem cell production, mitigated the development of severe gastrointestinal problems and reduced damage to DNA. Both metabolites can be purchased in some countries as health supplements but there is currently no evidence that the supplements could aid people exposed to intense forms of radiation.

“This truly trans-UNC collaborative effort showed that these beneficial bacteria caused a profound change in gut metabolites,” said corresponding author Jenny P.Y. Ting, Ph.D., William Rand Kenan Professor of Genetics in the UNC School of Medicine and a UNC Lineberger immunology program co-leader.

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