Long pepper compound may aid in treatment of colon cancer: NIT Rourkela

A natural compound found in long pepper can be an effective and costefficient agent against colon cancer cells said researchers at the National Institute of Technology NIT Rourkela on TuesdayColon cancer is a disease in which the cells grow uncontrollably in the large intestine of the body forming a tumour It is one of the most common types of cancer globally According to the World Health Organization in 2022 nearly 19 million new cases and almost 900000 deaths occurred due to colon cancerWhile various international cancer research studies have examined natural moleculesrsquo activity towards a variety of cancers the team at NIT Rourkela conducted a set of laboratory experiments to demonstrate the activity of Piperlongumine a natural compound as an alternative to chemotherapyIt is because conventional treatments such as chemotherapy are painful and have longlasting side effects including hair loss fatigue nerve damage and weakened immunityIn addition the cancerous cells tend to develop resistance to chemotherapy agents making the treatment difficultThe findings published in the prestigious journal BioFactors showed that Piperlongumine selectively kills colon cancer cells while leaving healthy cells unharmedldquoThis natural compound from long pepper has shown strong anticancer effects with minimal side effects making it a promising and safer alternative therapy Over time many cancer patients stop responding to chemotherapy meaning the treatment no longer works which can increase the risk of deathrdquo said Prof Bijesh Kumar Biswal Associate Professor Department of Life Science NIT RourkelaIn the study the team conducted multiple assays including MTT assay apoptotic induction nuclear damage and mitochondrial dysfunction to check the viability of colon cancer cells after treatment with piperlongumine These reported significant cancer cell deathFurther they reported that Piperlongumine increases oxidative stress inside colon cancer cells that they cannot handle causing them to selfdestruct Normal cells however are not affected because they can easily manage this stressSince long pepper pippalithippilimaghaun is an inexpensive easily cultivated plant that already exists in the diet of a large portion of the Indian population the formulation of piperlongumine offers a lowcost green therapeutic alternative especially beneficial for low and middleincome countries due to the exorbitant costs of cancer treatment the team saidldquoAs a next step our team is investigating the use of piperlongumine alongside chemotherapeutic drugs such as oxaliplatin to help restore patientsrsquo responsiveness to treatment This discovery opens new possibilities for treating advanced and chemoresistant colorectal cancer where current treatment options are limitedrdquo Biswal addedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever