Compounds in Celery, Artichokes Kill Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Celery, artichokes and Mexican oregano contain flavonoids that can kill pancreatic cancer cells, according to two new studies.

Celery might be an awful tasting vegetable, but it contains apigenin and luteolin- flavonoids that can destroy pancreatic cancer cells.

The studies were conducted by researchers at University of Illinois.

"Apigenin alone induced cell death in two aggressive human pancreatic cancer cell lines. But we received the best results when we pre-treated cancer cells with apigenin for 24 hours, then applied the chemotherapeutic drug gemcitabine for 36 hours," said Elvira de Mejia, a U of I professor of food chemistry and food toxicology.

Researchers recommend taking these favonoids before prescribed cancer drugs as consuming them simultaneously could negate their benefits.

"That happens because flavonoids can act as antioxidants. One of the ways that chemotherapeutic drugs kill cells is based on their pro-oxidant activity, meaning that flavonoids and chemotherapeutic drugs may compete with each other when they're introduced at the same time," Jodee Johnson, a doctoral student in de Mejia's lab.

Pancreatic cancers are difficult to detect early as the person may have very vague symptoms until the final stages. Also, the location of the organ makes it difficult to detect tumors in the gland.

Apigenin kills cancer cells by blocking the function of an enzyme called glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β). Inhibition of this enzyme leads to decrease in the production of anti-apoptotic genes in cancer cells. These genes help the cells self-destruct.

In one cell-line, the percentage of cells undergoing apoptosis (self-destruction) went up after researchers pretreated them with flavonoids.  In pretreated cells, the apoptosis rate was observed to be around 43.8 percent when compared to the mere 8.4 percent observed in those that were not treated with the compound.

The levels of flavonoids needed to kill the cells can't be obtained from vegetables. However, experts claim that drugs with the active ingredient could be designed.

Maintaining a healthy diet could help prevent the cancer.

"If you eat a lot of fruits and vegetables throughout your life, you'll have chronic exposure to these bioactive flavonoids, which would certainly help to reduce the risk of cancer," de Mejia said in a news release.

The studies are published in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research and Food and Chemical Toxicology.