Phytochemical Lycopene Inhibits Cancer Metastasis in Vitro and Vivo

By Kyle J. Norton

Cancer is a class of disease associated with irregular cell growth on the tissue of the specific organ.

Most cases of invasive cancer can spread to other organs in the body via lymph or blood.

According to the statistics provided by the Cancer Institue, between n 2011–2015, the number of new cases of cancer is 439.2 per 100,000 men and women per year (based on 2011–2015 cases). 

The number of cancer deaths (cancer mortality) is 163.5 per 100,000 men and women per year.

Under normal circumstance, cell growth is a natural process without even notice, every day millions of cell grow to replace millions of dead cells and to keep our body in balance and healthy.

Sometimes, acceleration of cells growth is necessary to prevent further damage to the body organ, such as cut, injure, etc., but after fulfilling their purposes, the growth of cells are back to a normal rate again due to our body growth inhibitors. Unfortunately, skin cells sometimes overgrow while healing, leading to scar to the skin.

In cancer cells, due to the alternation of DNA, can grow indefinitely. 

Cancer cell metastasis is the process that cancer cells break away from the primary site and travel through the blood or fluid circulation and form new tumors (metastatic tumors) in other parts of the body, similar to those of primary cancer.

Dr. RUI-AN WANG, the lead scientist in the explanation of the reasons for cancer metastasis, wrote, "Over several years, scientists investigating cancer have focused their efforts on elucidating the mechanisms underlying cancer metastasis, with the aim of finding a way to inhibit this process".

And, "Cancer metastasizes due to several factors, namely attack by the immune system, lack of oxygen and necessary nutrients, large amounts of lactic acid produced by glycolysis and increased cell death. Therefore, the majority of the presently available treatments for cancer also bear the potential to induce metastasis".

In other words, for the tumor to survive that must metastasize.

Lycopene is a phytochemical in the class of carotenoid, a natural pigment with no vitamin A activity found abundantly in tomatoes and other red fruits and vegetables, such as red carrots, watermelons, and papayas,

Tomatoes provide about 80% of the lycopene in the world diet. In plants, lycopene protects the host against excessive photodamage and perform various functions in photosynthesis.

In the urgency to find a natural ingredient for the inhibition of cancer cell metastasis, researchers examined the apo-10'-lycopenoic acid (ALA), a derivative of lycopene through cleavage by carotene-9',10'-oxygenase, on tumor progression and metastasis in both liver and lung cancer animal models.

According to the tested assays, ALA showed significant activity in a dose-dependent manner in inhibiting migration and invasion of liver and lung cancer cells (HuH7 and A549).

In other words, ALA constrained lung cancer cell from the induction of mechanisms associated with cancer cell spreading.

Furthermore, in HuH7 and immortalized lung BEAS-2B cells, ALA suppressing the function of remodeling actin in stimulating cancer cell mobility and membrane formation.

More importantly, ALA also inhibited both HuH7 and A549 cells. proliferation and migration by suppressing the genes associated with angiogenesis.

Moreover, according to the tested assays, ALA also decreased the expression of enzyme which plays a pivotal role in cell migration during physiological and pathological processes.

In human THE-2 liver cells, ALA in a dose-dependently increased the mRNA expression and protein levels of peroxisome proliferator‑activated receptor‑γ (PPARγ) involved in controlling angiogenesis, tumor progression and metastasis.

Based on the findings, Dr. Cheng J., the lead scientist wrote, "ALA inhibits cancer cell motility and angiogenesis and induces PPARγ expression, which could be one of the potential mechanisms for ALA protecting against tumor progression".

Taken altogether, phytochemical lycopene may be considered supplements for the prevention of cancer cell metastasis, pending on the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of lycopene in the form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

Natural Medicine for Fatty Liver And Obesity Reversal - The Revolutionary Findings To Achieve Optimal Health And Lose Weight

How To Get Rid Of Eye Floaters 
Contrary To Professionals Prediction, Floaters Can Be Cured Naturally 

Ovarian Cysts And PCOS Elimination
Holistic System In Existence That Will Show You How To
Permanently Eliminate All Types of Ovarian Cysts Within 2 Months

Back to Kyle J. Norton Homepage http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca


Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bioscience, ISSN 0975-6299.

Sources
(1) Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ inhibits pancreatic cancer cell invasion and metastasis via regulating MMP-2 expression through PTEN by Li Y1, Zhang DW1, Lin DQ1, Cao LQ1. (PubMed)
(1) Apo-10'-lycopenoic acid inhibits cancer cell migration and angiogenesis and induces peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ by Cheng J1, Miao B1, Hu KQ1, Fu X1, Wang XD. (PubMed)
(3) Reasons for cancer metastasis: A holistic perspective by RUI-AN WANG,1,2,3 YOU-YONG LU,4 and DAI-MING FAN (PubMed)