It is well known that eating green vegetables, beans, nuts, cereals and fruits prevents cancer, now it is found that beans and wheat bran contains an enzyme inhibitor Inositol pentakisphosphate which is found to have anti-cancer effects by blocking the action of enzyme Phosphoinositide 3 kinase.
Dr. Marco Falasca and colleagues from the University College London has reported the results of their study in Cancer Research Journal in which they had said that the natural green foods we eat contains anti-cancer compounds which prevents cancer occurrence. The Inhibitor Inositol pentakisphosphate was isolated from the legumes by the scientists and was found to inhibit the enzyme Phosphoinositide 3 kinase in mice model, in which they found that the inhibitors reduced the tumor growth in ovarian and lung cancer. The inhibitor also had the ability to enhance the activity of other cancer therapy drugs. Scientists as to develop inhibitor compound Inositol pentakisphosphate chemically so that required concentration can be had by the humans for cancer prevention and treatment, as chemical stability of the compounds are very fragile and can be toxic, so an effective chemical compound of Inositol has to be developed which blocks the enzyme effectively.Dr Falasca said: "Our study suggests the importance of a diet enriched in foods such as beans, nuts and cereals which could help prevent cancer.”Our work will now focus on establishing whether the phosphate inhibitor can be developed into an anti-cancer agent for human therapy. "We believe that Inositol pentakisphosphate is a promising anti-cancer tool and we hope to bring it to clinical testing soon."
Henry Scowcroft of Cancer Research UK said: "It is always encouraging when a newly discovered chemical is shown to have anti-cancer activity in the laboratory, especially when it occurs naturally in foods like beans and peas. "Obviously, the next step is to look at whether inositol pentakisphosphate is able to inhibit tumour growth in cancer patients, in properly controlled clinical trials."
Source: BBC News
