In the latest breakthrough for cancer research and treatment, the Department of Pharmacology at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine in Singapore found that the administration of nimbolide, an organic compound found exclusively in neem, significantly suppresses cell invasion and migration of prostate cancer cells.
Cancer is a condition with one of the highest rates of mortality, responsible for an estimated one in every eight deaths around the world in 2015. The cancer burden is expected to increase to 21.7 million cases and 13 million deaths per year by 2030. Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer found in men with 220,800 diagnosed in 2015 and more than 27,540 men will die from the disease this year. One new case occurs every 2.4 minutes and a man dies from prostate cancer every 20 minutes. One of the major problems is that treatments and therapies for metastatic prostate cancer that are currently available are only marginally effective.
Estimated Prostate Cancer Incidence Worldwide in 2012
Estimated Prostate Cancer Mortality Worldwide in 2012
Source: WHO (2015)
Published in the April 2016 issue of the scientific journal Antioxidants & redox Signalling, the study demonstrated that nimbolide can inhibit tumor cell viability — a cellular process that directly affects the ability of a cell to proliferate, grow, divide, or repair damaged cell components — and induce programmed cell death in prostate cancer cells. Researchers observed that upon the 12 weeks of administering nimbolide, the size of prostate cancer tumor was reduced by as much as 70 per cent and its metastasis decreased by about 50 per cent, without exhibiting any significant adverse effects. This is because a direct target of nimbolide in prostate cancer is glutathione reductase, an enzyme responsible for maintaining the antioxidant system that regulates the STAT3 gene in the body. The STAT3 gene has been reported to contribute to prostate tumor growth and metastasis. This is possible because a direct target of nimbolide in prostate cancer is glutathione reductase, an enzyme that is responsible for maintaining the antioxidant system that regulates the STAT3 gene in the body. The activation of the STAT3 gene has been reported to contribute to prostate tumor growth and metastasis
The next step for researchers at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine in Singapore is to perform a genome-wide screening large-scale study of proteins to analyse any side effects and determine other potential molecular targets of nimbolide. They are even exploring the possibility of a combinatory regimen of nimbolide and approved drugs such as docetaxel and enzalutamide for future prostate cancer therapy.
Alternative treatments such as neem are showing increasing promise. Various compounds found in neem bark, leaves, seeds and seed oil have been the focus of many scientific studies into the treatment and prevention of cancer over the last few decades. Instead of targeting the cancer cells directly, the protein – Neem Leaf Glycoprotein (NLGP) – have been found to modulate cells that are responsible for providing immunity to the body present within the tumor environment and its peripheral system. Neem extracts have also shown to sensitize cancer cells to immunotherapy and radiotherapy, therefore enhancing the efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents. In-vitro studies by the Memorial Sloane Kettering Cancer Center have also demonstrated neem’s ability to inhibit cancer cell growth for a variety of cancers. The Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology from Rochester’s Mayo Clinic have been researching neem since 2013, and are currently engaged in preclinical evaluation of neem’s ability to inhibit prostate cancer tumor growth.
Innovation is necessary in medicine to treat the variety of diseases that affect us every day, and renowned institutions such as the Mayo Clinic, Oxford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology continue to research the extensive health benefits that neem offers. Cancer treatment is merely one avenue of research into neem’s incredible and diverse medical properties, yet it is already making a significant impact in global healthcare.