Pomegranate compound Punicalagin for Cancer prevention

Husna, Amity University Kolkata

What are the health benefits of Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.)?

• Pomegranate (Punica granatum) is a fruit that has been applied in medicine since ancient times. Regular consumption of polyphenol-rich foods such as pomegranates or green tea offers several health benefits. 
• Consuming a diet that is rich in plant polyphenols can reduce the risk of chronic disorders like obesity, increased risk of metabolic syndrome and atherosclerosis, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and even cancer. 
• Pomegranate is rich in hydrolyzable tannins and anthocyanins compounds. These compounds have strong antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. Hence, pomegranates have a great contribution to prevent and treat inflammatory disorders and cancer diseases.
•  Extracts derived from various parts of Punica granatum, as well as its purified components, can interfere with multiple signalling pathways that are involved in the development of pathological conditions. 

Recent Study (2021): 

Recent studies have found a compound in pomegranates known as punicalagin (Pug). This compound is abundant in pomegranate juice, fruits, peel (pericarp), seeds, flowers, leaves, and bark, as well as in the fruits of myrobalan, leaves of yellow wood, tropical almond (Terminalia catappa L.), and pink rock-rose. It has several beneficial properties including strong anticancer activities. Punicalagin along with its derivative, ellagic acid, can inhibit DNA damage caused by various carcinogens. However, very little is known about this compound. Hence, a recent study has addressed the impact of Pug on neoplastic cells and its attenuating effect on signalling circuits that promote cancer growth and invasion. Moreover, the role of the pug in different cancers including human cervical cancer, ovarian, breast, lung, thyroid, colorectal, central nervous system, and bone cancer, has also been reviewed. 

Role of Pug in different cancer types:

1. Punicalagin against Cervical and Ovarian Cancers:

 Punicalagin (Pug) has an antiproliferative impact on human cervical cancer cell lines. The progression of numerous cancers including cervical and ovarian cancer is prompted by the β-catenin/Wnt signalling pathway. So, attenuating or weakening this pathway by Pug might limit the growth of cancer. Therefore, Pug seems to be a promising agent that can prevent the metastasis and invasion of cervical and ovarian cancer cells.

2. Punicalagin against Breast Cancer: 

Golgi phosphoprotein 3 (GOLPH3) is required in normal cells for the proper functioning of Golgi Apparatus. However, any disturbances to GOLPH3 such as abnormal vesicle trafficking leads to the development of neoplastic or tumour and oncogenic phenotypes including breast cancer. Overexpression of GOLPH3 in a breast cancer patient makes her resistant to chemotherapy and even worsens the prognosis of the patient. Pug can regulate this invasive ability of GOLPH3 to promote breast cancer

3. Punicalagin against Hepatocellular and Colorectal cancers:

Annexin A1 is a protein that is involved in a variety of physiological processes, including differentiation, proliferation, as well as apoptosis. Faulty expression of the Annexin A1 might lead to the development of cancer. However, annexin can function in two ways. In some cancers, it can act as a tumour suppressor, whereas in others, a tumour promoter. For instance, downregulated annexin has been observed in prostate or oesophageal cancers, whereas elevated expression of Annexin A1 has been detected in hepatocellular as well as colorectal cancers. Therefore, in colorectal cancer, pug along with pomegranate juice (PJ) treatment can suppress annexin A1 protein.

4. Punicalagin against Osteosarcoma (Bone Cancer): 

Injecting Pug on three human osteosarcoma cell lines (U2OS, MG63, and SaOS2) has shown to weaken the growth of tumours in bone, and reduced the angiogenesis (a hallmark of cancer, necessary for growth and spread/metastasis of cancer)

5. Punicalagin against Lung Cancer:

On treating human lung cancer A59 cell lines with punicalagin, there was an increase in pro-apoptotic factors (Bax; caspases 3 and 9; cytochrome C), which would help to get rid of cells that have been damaged, thus preventing cancer. 

Significance of the Study:

It is noteworthy that punicalagin has promising effects on chemo-preventive measures in gynaecological cancers, as well as thyroid, lung, colorectal, bone, and other cancer types. Punicalagin alone, and in combination with other components of pomegranate preparations, seems to protect against cancer development. It has also been shown to affect multiple signalling pathways; dampening of these pathways reduces cancer cell viability and proliferation via the activation of cell death due to apoptotic, autophagic, or senescent machinery. However, it should be noted that most of the scientific data presented in the above study originated from in vitro cancer cell line models. Therefore, even if the results are very promising, they can’t be directly employed for practical application in the human organism and need confirmation in some in-vivo models.

Also read: Changes in protein signatures during placental development!

Source: Berdowska, I., Matusiewicz, M., & Fecka, I. (2021). Punicalagin in cancer prevention—Via signaling pathways targeting. Nutrients, 13(8), 2733. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13082733

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Author’s info: Husna is an undergraduate student of BTech Biotechnology at Amity University Kolkata. She is a research enthusiast in Immunology and Immunotherapy but she has a keen interest in various other Bioscience subjects as well. She is constantly focused on improving her knowledge and laboratory skills through various internships. She is a Scientific content writer who has knowledge in diverse backgrounds of Biotechnology.