A new Canadian study from the University of Prince Edward Island has established a connection between cranberry extract (as well as one of its derivative flavonoids, quercetin) and the expression of certain inflammatory variables linked to prostate cancer. The variables include cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), a central inflammatory enzyme.
Cranberry extracts have long had a close and exceptionally effective association with urinary tract health, with a well-earned reputation for providing quick and effective relief of urinary tract infections (UTIs), particularly those originating from strains of uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC). There is, however, quite a significant distance between urinary tract infections and colon cancer, and indeed the mechanism of action for the potential of the latter is quite different from the one associated with the former.
In the case of UTIs, cranberry extract prevents the adhesion of certain E.Coli bacteria to the urinary tract wall. However, in this in-vitro study, the human colon cancer cell line (HT-29) – when exposed to cranberry extract or quercetin – underwent a decrease in the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Furthermore, this decrease was also seen in HT-29 cells subjected to the tumor-promoting agent 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). This led the Canadian scientists to add their confirmations to a growing school of thought emphasizing the importance of the ‘mechanistic’ link between inflammation and [colon] cancer. They also indicated a possible anti-carcinogenic role for cranberry and quercetin via an anti-inflammatory pathway.
Source: R. Narayansingh, R.A.R. Hurta. “Cranberry extract and quercetin modulate the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and I-kappa-B-alpha in human colon cancer cell.” Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. Volume 89 Issue 3, Pages 542 – 547
For more information see CRAN-UTI and Quercetin
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