Extra
virgin olive oil (EVOO), long-known for its heart health benefits, has
now been identified for its rapid destruction of cancer cells. While
scientists have proven that the oleocanthal compound found in EVOO
causes cell death in cancer cells, they have been unable to provide an
explanation for this phenomenon until now. Paul Breslin, David Foster,
and Onica LeGendre offer answers in their paper "(-)-Oleocanthal Rapidly and Selectively Induces Cancer Cell Death Via Lysosomal Membrane Permeabilization (LMP)," published in Molecular & Cellular Oncology.
In
their recent study, the researchers discovered that the key to
understanding the toxic effect of oleocantha in cancerous cells lies in
its reaction with the lysosomes of the cell, where the cells store
waste: the oleocantha ruptures the cancer cell lysosomes causing cell
death within 30 minutes to an hour while leaving un-cancerous cells
unharmed. This suggests that the lysosomal membranes of cancerous cells
are weaker than those of uncancerous cells. Because of oleocantha’s
targeted damage to cancer cells, it may prove an ideal option for
therapeutic cancer treatment. Paul Breslin, co-author of the study, said, "The mechanism of killing cancer cells and sparing healthy cells,
lysosomal membrane permeabilization, has been hypothesized as a possible
mechanism of effectively killing cancer cells and sparing healthy
tissues but has never been realized before. Our realization of this
makes this paper of particular therapeutic interest for cancer
treatment."
The
study’s focus on the effect of oleocantha on cancerous and un-cancerous
cells leads to larger implications about the health benefits of the
Mediterranean diet, which is rich in EVOO. Breslin stated, “the
Mediterranean diet is known to be associated with a reduced risk of many
different kinds of cancer. Whereas the entire diet likely has many
benefits, this study points directly to the olive oil phenolic,
oleocanthal, as playing an especially important role in these
observations. As more people turn to the Mediterranean diet as a healthy
life option, oleocanthal is growing in its significance as a key active
component of this diet.
"(-)-Oleocanthal
Rapidly and Selectively Induces Cancer Cell Death Via Lysosomal
Membrane Permeabilization (LMP)," is free to access for a limited time
on the journal’s website.
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