Blood metabolites mediate the causal relationship between circulating CX3CL1 levels and prostate cancer: A 2-step Mendelian randomization study

Chemokines influence the progression of prostate cancer (PCa) through multiple mechanisms. However, the effect of C-X3-C chemokine ligand 1 (CX3CL1) on PCa risk remains controversial. Our study aimed to investigate whether circulating CX3CL1 is causally associated with PCa and to identify metabolites that have mediating effects using the 2-step bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis process. Inverse variance weighting (IVW) results were used as the primary observations, while additional sensitivity analyses were conducted. For each standard deviation increase exhibited by the circulating CX3CL1 levels, the risk of PCa was reduced by 0.4% (IVW: OR = 0.996, [95% CI = 0.994-0.998], P < .001), and blood alliin levels increased by 19% (IVW: OR = 1.185, [95% CI = 1.01-1.54], P = .003). For each standard deviation increase in the blood alliin levels, the risk of PCa was reduced by 0.1% (IVW: OR = 0.999, [95% CI = 0.997-0.999], P = .03). Therefore, the protective effect of circulating CX3CL1 on PCa may be mediated by blood alliin levels (mediated proportion = 6.7%). The results supported the notion that high levels of circulating CX3CL1 indicate a lower PCa risk and the idea that the food-derived antioxidant alliin may mediate this association. We emphasize that the use of CX3CL1 as a protective factor against PCa may provide new strategies for PCa prevention and care in the future.

Prognostic significance of natural products against multidrug tumor resistance

Cancer is a pervasive, constantly evolving, and significant public health concern. The number of new cancer cases has risen dramatically in the last decades, making it one of the top causes of poor health and mortality worldwide. Although various treatment strategies, including surgery, radiation, and pharmaceutical therapies, have evolved into more sophisticated, precise methods, there is not much improvement in the cancer-related death toll. Consequently, natural product-based therapeutic discoveries have recently been considered an alternative approach. According to an estimate, one-third of the top twenty medications in today's market have a natural plant-product-based origin. Accordingly, primary prevention is an essential component of worldwide cancer control. This review provides an overview of the mechanisms of action of bioactive ingredients in natural dietary products that may contribute to the prevention and management of multiple malignancies.

Accumulation of Sulforaphane and Alliin in Human Prostate Tissue

Diets rich in cruciferous vegetables have been associated with a lower risk of incidence and progression of prostate cancer. Sulforaphane, an isothiocyanate derived from 4-methylsulphinylbutyl glucosinolate (glucoraphanin) that accumulates in certain of these vegetables, notably broccoli, has been implicated in their protective effects. Likewise, the consumption of garlic and its sulphur-containing compounds such as alliin have been associated with a reduction in risk of prostate cancer. In this study, we tested whether consuming glucoraphanin derived from broccoli seeds and alliin derived from garlic resulted in the occurrence of these potential bioactive compounds in the prostate, which may contribute to our understanding of the putative protective effects of these dietary components. We recruited 42 men scheduled for a trans-perineal prostate biopsy into a randomised, double-blinded, 2 × 2-factorial dietary supplement four-week intervention study, and 39 completed the study. The two active interventions were supplements providing glucoraphanin from broccoli (BroccoMax®) and alliin from garlic (Kwai Heartcare®). Following the intervention, prostate biopsy tissue was analysed for the presence of sulforaphane and its thiol conjugates and for alliin and associated metabolites. Sulforaphane occurred in significantly higher levels in the prostate tissue (both within the transition and peripheral zone) of men consuming the glucoraphanin containing supplements (p < 0.0001) compared to men not consuming these supplements. However, while alliin and alliin-derived metabolites were detected within the prostate, there was no significant difference in the concentrations of these compounds in the prostate of men consuming supplements derived from garlic compared to men not consuming these supplements.

In Vitro Colonic Fermentation of (Poly)phenols and Organosulfur Compounds of Fresh and Black Garlic

The beneficial properties associated with garlic consumption have been related to the presence of bioactive compounds including (poly)phenols and organosulfur compounds (OSCs). This study aims to assess the effect of in vitro colonic fermentation on fresh and black garlic by determining the transformation of these compounds through ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry with a linear ion trap (uHPLC-LIT-MS). Colonic fermentation had a similar influence on the phenolic content of fresh and black garlic, with total respective decreases of 43.8% and 41.7%. Meanwhile, fermentation resulted in a significant decrease (33%) in OSCs in black garlic. Compounds such as 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, S-allylcysteine (SAC), and methionine sulfoxide were the phenolic compounds and OSCs with the highest concentration in fresh and black garlic after the in vitro fermentation. These compounds, potentially present at the colonic level, might be responsible for the systemic health benefits associated with the consumption of black and fresh garlic.

Garlic (Allium sativum L.): Its Chemistry, Nutritional Composition, Toxicity and Anticancer Properties

The current review discuss the chemistry, nutritional composition, toxicity, and biological functions of garlic and its bioactive compounds against various types of cancers via different anticancer mechanisms. Several scientific documents were found in reliable literature and searched in databases viz Science Direct, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and Research Gate were carried out using keywords such as "garlic", "garlic bioactive compounds", "anticancer mechanisms of garlic", "nutritional composition of garlic", and others. Garlic contains several phytoconstituents with activities against cancer, and these compounds such as diallyl trisulfide (DATS), allicin, and diallyl disulfide (DADS), diallyl sulfide (DAS), and allyl mercaptan (AM). The influence of numerous garlic-derived products, phytochemicals, and nanoformulations on the liver, oral, prostate, breast, gastric, colorectal, skin, and pancreatic cancers has been studied. Based on our search, the bioactive molecules in garlic were found to inhibit the various phases of cancer. Moreover, the compounds in this plant also abrogate the peroxidation of lipids, activity of nitric oxide synthase, epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), protein kinase C, and regulate cell cycle and survival signaling cascades. Hence, garlic and its bioactive molecules exhibit the aforementioned mechanistic actions and thus, they could be used to inhibit the induction, development and progression of cancer. The review describes the nutritional Composition of garlic, its bioactive molecules, and nanoformulations against various types of cancers, as well as the potential for developing these agents as antitumor drugs.

Garlic constituents for cancer prevention and therapy: From phytochemistry to novel formulations

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is one of the oldest plants cultivated for its dietary and medicinal values. This incredible plant is endowed with various pharmacological attributes, such as antimicrobial, antiarthritic, antithrombotic, antitumor, hypoglycemic, and hypolipidemic activities. Among the various beneficial pharmacological effects of garlic, the anticancer activity is presumably the most studied. The consumption of garlic provides strong protection against cancer risk. Taking into account the multi-targeted actions and absence of considerable toxicity, a few active metabolites of garlic are probably to play crucial roles in the killing of cancerous cells. Garlic contains several bioactive molecules with anticancer actions and these include diallyl trisulfide, allicin, diallyl disulfide, diallyl sulfide, and allyl mercaptan. The effects of various garlic-derived products, their phytoconstituents and nanoformulations have been evaluated against skin, prostate, ovarian, breast, gastric, colorectal, oral, liver, and pancreatic cancers. Garlic extract, its phytocompounds and their nanoformulations have been shown to inhibit the different stages of cancer, including initiation, promotion, and progression. Besides, these bioactive metabolites alter the peroxidation of lipid, activity of nitric oxide synthetase, nuclear factor-κB, epidermal growth factor receptor, and protein kinase C, cell cycle, and survival signaling. The current comprehensive review portrays the functions of garlic, its bioactive constituents and nanoformulations against several types of cancers and explores the possibility of developing these agents as anticancer pharmaceuticals.

Allium sativum Protease Inhibitor: A Novel Kunitz Trypsin Inhibitor from Garlic Is a New Comrade of the Serpin Family

PURPOSE

This study was aimed to purify and characterize the Protease inhibitor (PI) from a plant Allium sativum (garlic) with strong medicinal properties and to explore its phytodrug potentials.

METHODS

Allium sativum Protease Inhibitor (ASPI) was purified using ammonium sulphate fractionation and Fast Protein Liquid Chromatography on anion exchanger Hi-Trap DEAE column. The purified protein was analyzed for its purity and molecular weight by SDS PAGE. The confirmation of presence of trypsin inhibiting PI was performed by MALDI TOF-TOF and analyzed by MASCOT database. The ASPI was further investigated for its kinetic properties and stability under extreme conditions of pH, temperature and chemical denaturants. Secondary structure was determined by Circular Dichorism (CD) spectroscopy.

RESULTS

ASPI of ~15 kDa inhibited trypsin and matched "truncated kunitz Trypsin Inhibitor (Glycine max)" in MASCOT database. The purified ASPI showed 30376.1371 U/mg specific activity with a fold purity of 159.92 and yield ~93%. ASPI was quite stable in the range of pH 2-12 showing a decline in the activity around pH 4-5 suggesting that the pI value of the protein as ASPI aggregates in this range. ASPI showed stability to a broad range of temperature (10-80°C) but declined beyond 80°C. Further, detergents, oxidizing agents and reducing agents demonstrated change in ASPI activity under varying concentrations. The kinetic analysis revealed sigmoidal relationship of velocity with substrate concentration with Vmax 240.8 (μM/min) and Km value of 0.12 μM. ASPI showed uncompetitive inhibition with a Ki of 0.08±0.01 nM). The Far UV CD depicted 2.0% α -helices and 51% β -sheets at native pH.

CONCLUSIONS

To conclude, purified ~15 kDa ASPI exhibited fair stability in wide range of pH and temperature Overall, there was an increase in purification fold with remarkable yield. Chemical modification studies suggested the presence of lysine and tryptophan residues as lead amino acids present in the reactive sites. Therefore, ASPI with trypsin inhibitory property has the potential to be used as a non-cytotoxic clinical agents.

Diallyl disulfide enhances carbon ion beams-induced apoptotic cell death in cervical cancer cells through regulating Tap73 /ΔNp73

Diallyl disulfide (DADS), extracted from crushed garlic by steam-distillation, has been reported to provide the anticancer activity in several cancer types. However, the effect of DADS on high-LET carbon beams - induced cell death remains unknown. Therefore, we used human cervical cancer cells to elucidate the molecular effects of this diallyl sulfide. Radiotherapy remains the mainstay of treatment, especially in advanced cervical cancer and there is still space to improve the radiosensitivity to reduce radiation dosage. In this study, we found that radiation effects evoked by high-LET carbon beam was marked by inhibition of cell viability, cell cycle arrest, significant rise of apoptotic cells, regulation of transcription factor, such as p73, as well as alterations of crucial mediator of the apoptosis pathway. We further demonstrated that pretreatment of 10 µM DADS in HeLa cells exposed to radiation resulted in decrease in cell viability and increased radiosensitivity. Additionally, cells pretreated with DADS obviously inhibited the radiation-induced G2/M phase arrest, but promoted radiation-induced apoptosis. Moreover, combination DADS and the radiation exacerbated the activation of apoptosis pathways through up-regulated ration of pro-apoptotic Tap73 to anti-apoptotic ΔNp73, and its downstream proteins, such as FASLG, and APAF1. Taken together, these results suggest that DADS is a potential candidate as radio sensitive agent for cervical cancer.

Diallyl disulfide attenuated carbon ion irradiation-induced apoptosis in mouse testis through changing the ratio of Tap73/ΔNp73 via mitochondrial pathway

Diallyl disulfide (DADS), a major organosulfur compound derived from garlic, has various biological properties, including anti-cancer effects. However, the protective mechanism of DADS against radiation-induced mouse testis cell apoptosis has not been elucidated. In this study, the magnitude of radiation effects evoked by carbon ion irradiation was marked by morphology changes, significant rise in apoptotic cells, activation expression of p53, up regulation the ratio of pro-apoptotic Tap73/anti-apoptotic ΔNp73, as well as alterations of crucial mediator of the mitochondrial pathway. Interestingly, pretreatment with DADS attenuated carbon ion irradiation-induced morphology damages and apoptotic cells. Additionally, DADS elevated radiation-induced p53 and p21 expression, suggesting that p53 might be involved in the inhibition of cell cycle progression through up regulation of p21. Furthermore, administration with DADS prevented radiation-induced Tap73/ΔNp73 expression and consequently down regulated Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, cytochrome c release and caspase-3 expression, indicating that the balance between Tap73 and ΔNp73 had potential to activate p53 responsive genes. Thus, our results showed that radio protection effect of DADS on mouse testis is mediated by blocking apoptosis through changing the ratio of Tap73/ΔNp73 via mitochondrial pathway, suggesting that DADS could be used as a potential radio protection agent for the testis against heavy-ion radiation.

Effects of typheramide and alfrutamide found in Allium species on cyclooxygenases and lipoxygenases

Typheramide (N-caffeoyltyramine) and alfrutamide (N-feruloyltyramine) are phenylpropenoic acid amides found in plants. In this article, typheramide and alfrutamide were isolated from Allium sativum (garlic) and Allium fistulosum (green onion), their chemical structures were confirmed using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic methods, and the potential effects on cyclooxygenases (COXs) (COX 1 and 2) and lipoxygenases (LOXs) (5- and 15-LOX) were investigated. Typheramide and alfrutamide inhibited COX 1 by 74% (P < .01) and 60% (P < .01), respectively, at the concentration of 0.1 μM; at the same concentration, they also inhibited COX 2 by 68% (P < .02) and 54% (P < .02), respectively. Typheramide was slightly stronger than alfrutamide in inhibiting COX enzymes, and the inhibition patterns of COX 1 and 2 were uncompetitive with K(i) = 0.032 and 0.047 μM, respectively. However, typheramide and alfrutamide were not able to inhibit 5-LOX, and they only moderately inhibited 15-LOX by 27% (P < .02) and 17% (P < .02), respectively, at the relatively high concentration of 25 μM. Altogether, the data suggest that typheramide and alfrutamide from garlic and green onions are likely to be significant inhibitors for COX 1 and 2 rather than 5- and 12-LOX.

Garlic in health and disease

The present article reviews the historical and popular uses of garlic, its antioxidant, haematological, antimicrobial, hepatoprotective and antineoplastic properties and its potential toxicity (from sulfoxide). Garlic has been suggested to affect several cardiovascular risk factors. It has also been shown that garlic and its organic allyl sulfur components are effective inhibitors of the cancer process. Since garlic and its constituents can suppress carcinogen formation, bioactivation and tumour proliferation, it is imperative that biomarkers be established to identify which individuals might benefit most. Garlic powder, aged garlic and garlic oil have demonstrated antiplatelet and anticoagulant effects by interfering with cyclo-oxygenase-mediated thromboxane synthesis. Garlic has also been found to have synergistic effects against Helicobacter pylori with a proton pump inhibitor. The active compound allicin may affect atherosclerosis not only by acting as an antioxidant, but also by other mechanisms, such as lipoprotein modification and inhibition of LDL uptake and degradation by macrophages. Freshly prepared garlic homogenate protects against isoniazid+rifampicin-induced liver injury in experimental animal models. Several mechanisms are likely to account for this protection.

Garlic: Empiricism or Science?

Garlic (Allium sativum L. fam. Alliaceae) is one of the best-researched, best-selling herbal remedies and is also commonly used as a food and a spice. Garlic constituents include enzymes (for example, alliinase) and sulfur-containing compounds, including alliin, and compounds produced enzymatically from alliin (for example, allicin). Traditionally, it has been employed to treat infections, wounds, diarrhea, rheumatism, heart disease, diabetes, and many other disorders. Experimentally, it has been shown to exert antilipidemic, antihypertensive, antineoplastic, antibacterial, immunostimulant and hypoglycemic actions. Clinically, garlic has been evaluated for a number of conditions, including hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, intermittent claudication, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, common cold, as an insect repellent, and for the prevention of arteriosclerosis and cancer. Systematic reviews are available for the possible antilipidemic, antihypertensive, antithrombotic and chemopreventive effects. However, the clinical evidence is far from compelling. Garlic appears to be generally safe although allergic reactions may occur.