Pomegranate (Punica granatum): a natural source for the development of therapeutic compositions of food supplements with anticancer activities based on electron acceptor molecular characteristics
Journal Title: Functional Foods in Health and Disease - Year 2016, Vol 6, Issue 12
Abstract
Background: Numerous in vitro and in vivo studies, in addition to clinical data, demonstrate that pomegranate juice can prevent or slow-down the progression of some types of cancers. Despite the well-documented effect of pomegranate ingredients on neoplastic changes, the molecular mechanism(s) underlying this phenomenon remains elusive. Methods: For the study of pomegranate ingredients the electron-ion interaction potential (EIIP) and the average quasi valence number (AQVN) were used. These molecular descriptors can be used to describe the long-range intermolecular interactions in biological systems and can identify substances with strong electron-acceptor properties. In this study, candidate human proteins interacting with pomegranate flavonoids have been analyzed by the informational spectrum method (ISM). This represents a virtual spectroscopy method for studying protein molecular interactions. Results: Our analysis indicates that the anti-cancer properties of pomegranate juice can be ascribed to the strong electron-acceptor properties of its chemical ingredients. This analysis also suggests that pomegranate flavonoids inhibit the “NF-kappaB” (NF-kB) pathway, which plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of cancer. Conclusion: The results offer a possible explanation for an important molecular mechanism underlying the anticancer activity of pomegranate ingredients, which could also serve as a basis for the development of new therapeutic compositions of food supplements with pomegranate-like anticancer properties.
Authors and Affiliations
Veljko Veljkovic, Sanja Glisic, Nevena Veljkovic, Garth L Nicolson
Keywords
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- EP ID EP458031
- DOI 10.31989/ffhd.v6i12.289
- Views 148
- Downloads 0
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