The coffee compound could inhibit prostate cancer

Scientists have identified compounds found in coffee that could inhibit the growth of prostate cancer. This pilot study was conducted on drug-resistant cancer cells in cell culture and in a mouse model and has not yet been tested in humans. The work was presented at the Congress of the European Association of Urology in Barcelona, ​​after publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Prostate.

Coffee is a complex mixture of compounds whose positive and negative influence on human health has been demonstrated. There is growing evidence that consumption of certain types of coffee is badociated with a reduction in the incidence of certain cancers, including prostate cancer. Japanese scientists have studied the effects of two compounds found in coffee, kahweol acetate and cafestol, on prostate cancer cells and in animals, where they have been able to inhibit the growth of drug-resistant cells anticancer agents such as cabazitaxel.

The researchers initially tested six compounds, naturally present in coffee, on the proliferation of prostate cancer cells in humans. in vitro. They found that cells treated with kahweol acetate and cafestol developed more slowly than control cells. They then tested these compounds on prostate cancer cells that had been transplanted into 16 mice. Of these, four mice were controls, four were treated with kahweol acetate, four with cafestol, the remaining four mice being treated with a combination of kahweol acetate and cafestol.

Dr. Hiroaki Iwamoto, Head of Study, Department of Integral Cancer and Urology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Kanazawa, Japan, said, "We have discovered that kahweol acetate and cafestol inhibited the growth of cancer cells in mice, but the combination appeared to work synergistically, resulting in significantly slower tumor growth than in untreated mice. After 11 days, the untreated tumors had grown about 3½ times the initial volume (342%), whereas the tumors in the mice treated with both compounds had grown about 1.5 times (167%). original size.

It is important to keep these results in perspective. This is a pilot study, so this work shows that the use of these compounds is scientifically feasible, but requires further research. this does not mean that the results can still be applied to humans. We also found a reduction in growth in grafted tumor cells, rather than in native tumor cells. This shows that these compounds seem to have an effect on drug-resistant cells, prostate cancer cells under the right circumstances, and that they also need to be deepened. We are currently studying the possibility of testing these results in a larger sample and then in humans. "

Kahweol acetate and cafestol are hydrocarbons, naturally present in Arabica coffee. It has been found that the process of making coffee has an impact on whether these compounds remain in the coffee after being brewed (as in an espresso) or if they are removed (as they are filtered).

Professor Atsushi Mizokami, Department of Integrated Cancer Treatment and Urology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, University of Kanazawa, Japan, added: "These results are promising, but they should not be encouraging people to change their coffee consumption. Coffee can have both positive and negative effects (for example, it can increase hypertension), so we need to know more about the mechanisms behind these findings before we can think of clinical applications. However, if we can confirm these results, we could have candidates to treat drug-resistant prostate cancer. "

In an independent comment, Professor Zoran Culig, professor of experimental urology at the University of Medicine Innsbruck, said: "These results are interesting. I think these first results will encourage researchers to use more recent models, such as xenografts derived from patients expressing the androgen receptor. Such experiments will probably provide a definitive answer as to the future prospects of this type of treatment. "