Cancer poses a significant public health challenge, ranking as the primary cause of mortality in both advanced and developing nations. The incidence of cancer continues to rise each year, with 10 million fatalities recorded in 2020.
Projections indicate that the incidence of new cancer diagnoses is expected to surge to 27.5 million by 2040. Consequently, it becomes imperative to foster the development of more efficient strategies for cancer treatment.
Present-day cancer therapies, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery, exhibit a range of effects. Chemotherapeutic substances, while targeting cancer cells, also inflict harm on healthy ones and may lead to organ damage.
Consequently, there is a growing interest in the pursuit of novel chemotherapeutic agents that offer fewer side effects.
Plants have a lot of bioactive substances that work on many different targets and in different ways. Natural substances found in plants, such as flavonoids, phenolic acids, tannins, alkaloids, and terpenoids, have anti-cancer properties. Natural substances also have fewer harmful effects on healthy cells while having strong anti-cancer properties. So, natural substances can be turned into new drugs that fight cancer.
Kencur, a tropical plant hailing from the ginger family and indigenous to Southeast Asia, is commonly recognized as an aromatic spice to enhance culinary flavors or as a calming herbal solution for soothing upset stomachs. Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University have recently unveiled compelling evidence indicating that Kencur also holds significant anti-cancer properties.
Under the leadership of Associate Professor Akiko Kojima from the Graduate School of Human Life and Ecology, the research team successfully showcased the substantial inhibition of cancer cell growth both at the cellular and animal levels using Kencur extract and its primary active compound, ethyl p-methoxycinnamate (EMC).
Previous research had hinted at EMC’s anti-cancer capabilities, primarily by reducing the expression of mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM), a factor linked to cancer cell proliferation. However, the precise mechanism behind this effect had remained elusive until now.
“The results of this study confirm the anti-cancer effects of Kencur extract and its main active ingredient, EMC. It is highly expected that TFAM will become a new marker for anti-cancer effects in the future as research advances in related fields,” added Professor Kojima.
How to make Jamu – an Indonesian drink made from Kencur ginger that has anti-cancer properties
The results of the study were published today in Heliyon.
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