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Cancer Chemoprevention by Pomegranate: Laboratory and Clinical Evidence

2009; Routledge; Volume: 61; Issue: 6 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/01635580903285064

1532-7914

Vaqar M. Adhami, Naghma Khan, Hasan Mukhtar,

Antioxidant Activity and Oxidative Stress

Abstract Pomegranate fruit from the tree Punica granatum has been dubbed as the "nature's power fruit." Dating back to Biblical times, the tree itself is attributed to possess extraordinary medicinal properties. The geographical distribution of the tree, being native to the Middle East and some Asian countries, is generally attributed to a lack of interest in its medicinal properties by many western scientists. However, the unique biochemical composition of the pomegranate fruit being rich in antioxidant tannins and flavonoids has recently drawn attention of many investigators to study its exceptional healing qualities. Recent research has shown that pomegranate extracts selectively inhibit the growth of breast, prostate, colon and lung cancer cells in culture. In preclinical animal studies, oral consumption of pomegranate extract inhibited growth of lung, skin, colon and prostate tumors. An initial phase II clinical trial of pomegranate juice in patients with prostate cancer reported significant prolongation of prostate specific antigen doubling time. This review focuses on recent investigations into the effects of pomegranate fruit on cancer. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The original work from the author's (H. Mukhtar) laboratory outlined in this review was supported by United States Public Health Service Grants R01 CA 78809, R01 CA 101039, P50 DK065303-01, and RO1 CA 120451.