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Secoisolariciresinol diglycoside protection against cancer
1188
Information
Genotoxicity of hydroxychavicol A group of Taiwanese investigators has found hydroxychavicol to be mutagenic to Salmonella typhimwrium, and to induce chromosome damage and oxidative DNA damage in mammalian cells. Hydroxychavicol, present in betel leaf, is structurally related to eugenol (LeeChen S.-F. etaí.,Mutagenesis 1996, 11, 519).
Orange juice - anticancer activity Orange juice inhibited the development of mammary tumours when given (double strength) for 16 wk instead of drinking water to rats previously treated with a known mammary carcinogen. A similar inhibition of cancer was also noted in groups of rats fed a diet supplemented with 0.5% naringin (a dose of this glycosylated flavonoid equivalent to that supplied by drinking double-strength grapefruit juice). NO effect was found for grapefruit juice itself. Experiments using human breast cancer cells in culture indicated an inhibitory effect on proliferation by hesperetin (the glycoside of which, hesperidin, is present in orange juice) and naringin at similar concentrations (So E.V. et al., Nutrition and Ckncer 1996,26, 167).
Grape juice mutagenicity Grape juice was mutagenic to Salmonella typhimurium bacteria (Ames test) in the presence and absente of a rat-liver metabolic activation system. The same result was found with three commercially available juices and for a juice freshly prepared in the University of Surrey laboratory (Patrineli A. et al., Food and Chemical Toxicology 1996, 34, 559).
Occupational hypersensitivity to carrot A case of occupational hypersensitivity to raw carrot has been reported. For the last 10 yr of her 15-yr career as a cook, the 34-yr-old Spaniard had suffered runny nose and eyes, contact dermatitis, severe itching, and, on one occasion following accidental ingestion of raw carrot, anaphylaxis. She was able to tolerate cooked carrot without effect. Skin prick and histamine release tests gave positive results for raw carrot and immunoblotting detected specific IgE for a carrot protein. These tests were also positive for olive pollen. The investigators had found ?ro mention of occupational sensitivity to carrot in the literature” and commented that “sensitization to olive pollen has not been previously reported” (Gomez M. et al., Allergy 1996, 51,425).
Section
Secoisolariciresinol diglycoside protection against cancer This mammalian lignan precursor found in high-fibre foods appears to offer protection against development of mammary tumours in rats. Secoisolariciresinol diglycoside, isolated from flaxseed, was fed for 20 wk to rats treated with a chemical known to induce mammary tumours and kept on a high-fat diet. The total number of tumours and the number of tumours per tumourbearing rat were reduced by around 50 and 4O%, respectively, in those on the treated diet (Thompson L.U. et al., Nutrition and Cancer 1996, 26, 159).
Fenugreek The administration of fenugreek seeds to rats in the diet for 90 days at levels of up to 20% (about 9 g/kg body weight/day) did not give rise to any effects of toxicological concern (Rao P.U. et al., Nutrition Research 1996, 16, 1495).
Hamburgers and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma An increased risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma has been reported among older women from Iowa, USA, consuming a high meat diet with a high intake of animal fat. Relative risks (RR) for the highest tertile of intake compared with the lowest were 2.00 [95% confidence interval (Cl) 1.21-3.301 for animal fat, 1.69 (95% CI 1.07-2.67) for saturated fat, and 1.90 (95% CI 1.18-3.04) for monounsaturated fat. An increased risk with greater intake of animal protein was explained mainly by greater consumption of red meat (RR 1.98,95% CI 1.13-3.47), particularly of hamburger (RR 2.35,95% CI 1.23-4.48). Over 35,000 women (identified from more than 98,000 initially approached) were monitored for 7 yr from 1986. In this time 104 had developed the disease (Chiu B.C.-H. et al,, Joumal of the American Medical Associution 1996,275, 1315).
Food/environmental mutagens and the breast Human breast cells treated in culture with a number of known mutagens commonly found in the diet and environment showed an incidence and pattern of DNA adducts similar to that identified in the tissues of rodents and other primates exposed to the same agents. This type of covalent binding to DNA is thought to be of importante in the development of cancer. The chemicals tested were
Information
Genotoxicity of hydroxychavicol A group of Taiwanese investigators has found hydroxychavicol to be mutagenic to Salmonella typhimwrium, and to induce chromosome damage and oxidative DNA damage in mammalian cells. Hydroxychavicol, present in betel leaf, is structurally related to eugenol (LeeChen S.-F. etaí.,Mutagenesis 1996, 11, 519).
Orange juice - anticancer activity Orange juice inhibited the development of mammary tumours when given (double strength) for 16 wk instead of drinking water to rats previously treated with a known mammary carcinogen. A similar inhibition of cancer was also noted in groups of rats fed a diet supplemented with 0.5% naringin (a dose of this glycosylated flavonoid equivalent to that supplied by drinking double-strength grapefruit juice). NO effect was found for grapefruit juice itself. Experiments using human breast cancer cells in culture indicated an inhibitory effect on proliferation by hesperetin (the glycoside of which, hesperidin, is present in orange juice) and naringin at similar concentrations (So E.V. et al., Nutrition and Ckncer 1996,26, 167).
Grape juice mutagenicity Grape juice was mutagenic to Salmonella typhimurium bacteria (Ames test) in the presence and absente of a rat-liver metabolic activation system. The same result was found with three commercially available juices and for a juice freshly prepared in the University of Surrey laboratory (Patrineli A. et al., Food and Chemical Toxicology 1996, 34, 559).
Occupational hypersensitivity to carrot A case of occupational hypersensitivity to raw carrot has been reported. For the last 10 yr of her 15-yr career as a cook, the 34-yr-old Spaniard had suffered runny nose and eyes, contact dermatitis, severe itching, and, on one occasion following accidental ingestion of raw carrot, anaphylaxis. She was able to tolerate cooked carrot without effect. Skin prick and histamine release tests gave positive results for raw carrot and immunoblotting detected specific IgE for a carrot protein. These tests were also positive for olive pollen. The investigators had found ?ro mention of occupational sensitivity to carrot in the literature” and commented that “sensitization to olive pollen has not been previously reported” (Gomez M. et al., Allergy 1996, 51,425).
Section
Secoisolariciresinol diglycoside protection against cancer This mammalian lignan precursor found in high-fibre foods appears to offer protection against development of mammary tumours in rats. Secoisolariciresinol diglycoside, isolated from flaxseed, was fed for 20 wk to rats treated with a chemical known to induce mammary tumours and kept on a high-fat diet. The total number of tumours and the number of tumours per tumourbearing rat were reduced by around 50 and 4O%, respectively, in those on the treated diet (Thompson L.U. et al., Nutrition and Cancer 1996, 26, 159).
Fenugreek The administration of fenugreek seeds to rats in the diet for 90 days at levels of up to 20% (about 9 g/kg body weight/day) did not give rise to any effects of toxicological concern (Rao P.U. et al., Nutrition Research 1996, 16, 1495).
Hamburgers and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma An increased risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma has been reported among older women from Iowa, USA, consuming a high meat diet with a high intake of animal fat. Relative risks (RR) for the highest tertile of intake compared with the lowest were 2.00 [95% confidence interval (Cl) 1.21-3.301 for animal fat, 1.69 (95% CI 1.07-2.67) for saturated fat, and 1.90 (95% CI 1.18-3.04) for monounsaturated fat. An increased risk with greater intake of animal protein was explained mainly by greater consumption of red meat (RR 1.98,95% CI 1.13-3.47), particularly of hamburger (RR 2.35,95% CI 1.23-4.48). Over 35,000 women (identified from more than 98,000 initially approached) were monitored for 7 yr from 1986. In this time 104 had developed the disease (Chiu B.C.-H. et al,, Joumal of the American Medical Associution 1996,275, 1315).
Food/environmental mutagens and the breast Human breast cells treated in culture with a number of known mutagens commonly found in the diet and environment showed an incidence and pattern of DNA adducts similar to that identified in the tissues of rodents and other primates exposed to the same agents. This type of covalent binding to DNA is thought to be of importante in the development of cancer. The chemicals tested were