The general mechanism for the induction of apoptosis in PANC-1 cells by stevia leaf extract fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum SN13T pressure. Credit score: Zhang Rentao/Hiroshima College
Stevia might present extra advantages than as a zero-calorie sugar substitute. When fermented with micro organism remoted from banana leaves, stevia extract kills off pancreatic most cancers cells however would not hurt wholesome kidney cells, based on a analysis crew at Hiroshima College.
The researchers revealed their findings on April 28 within the Worldwide Journal of Molecular Sciences.
“Globally, the incidence and mortality rates of pancreatic cancer continue to rise, with a five-year survival rate of less than 10%,” mentioned co-author Narandalai Danshiitsoodol, affiliate professor in Division of Probiotic Science for Preventive Medication, Graduate Faculty of Biomedical and Well being Sciences.
“Pancreatic cancer is highly invasive and prone to metastasis, showing significant resistance to existing treatments, such as surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. As such, there is an urgent need to identify new and effective anticancer compounds, particularly those derived from medicinal plants.”
Prior research by different researchers indicated that stevia leaf extract demonstrated potential as an anticancer drug, however isolating and making use of the particular bioactive elements that shield towards most cancers cells has remained difficult, Danshiitsoodol mentioned. Nonetheless, fermenting with micro organism can structurally change the extract and produce bioactive metabolites, that are compounds that may impression dwelling organisms.
“To enhance the pharmacological efficacy of natural plant extracts, microbial biotransformation has emerged as an effective strategy,” mentioned corresponding creator Masanori Sugiyama, professor within the Division of Probiotic Science for Preventive Medication, Graduate Faculty of Biomedical and Well being Sciences. Sugiyama’s lab has remoted and evaluated the well being advantages of greater than 1,300 lactic acid micro organism (LAB) strains from fruits, greens, flowers and medicinal crops.
“In this study, we aimed to compare LAB-fermented and non-fermented extracts to identify key compounds that enhance bioactivity, ultimately contributing to the efficacy of herbal medicine in cancer prevention and therapy.”
Particularly, the crew fermented stevia leaf extract with plant-derived Lactobacillus plantarum SN13T pressure (FSLE) and in contrast its results on pancreatic most cancers (PANC-1) cells within the lab, alongside non-cancerous human embryonic kidney cells HEK-293, to the consequences of non-fermented stevia extract. The cells utilized in these experiments had been acquired from established industrial cell strains.
“Our findings indicate that FSLE demonstrates significantly greater cytotoxicity than the non-fermented extract at equivalent concentrations, suggesting that the fermentation process enhances the bioactivity of the extract,” Sugiyama mentioned. “Notably, FSLE exhibited lower toxicity toward the HEK-293 cells, with minimal inhibition observed even at the highest concentration tested.”
Further analyses recognized chlorogenic acid methyl ester (CAME) because the energetic anti-cancer compound. When fermented, the focus of chlorogenic acid within the extract dropped six-fold, indicating a microbial transformation, based on Danshiitsoodol.
“This microbial transformation was likely due to specific enzymes in the bacteria strain used,” Danshiitsoodol mentioned. “Our data demonstrate that CAME exhibits stronger toxicity to cells and pro-apoptotic effects—which encourage cell death—on PANC-1 cells compared to chlorogenic acid alone.”
Subsequent, the researchers mentioned they plan to review the consequences in a mouse mannequin to raised perceive the effectiveness of varied dosages throughout a whole-body system.
“The present study has substantially enhanced our understanding of the mechanism of action of the Lactobacillus plantarum SN13T strain in the fermentation of herbal extracts, while also offering a valuable research perspective on the potential application of probiotics as natural anti-tumor agents,” Danshiitsoodol mentioned.
Different contributors embrace Rentao Zhang and Masafumi Noda, Division of Probiotic Science for Preventive Medication, Graduate Faculty of Biomedical and Well being Sciences, Hiroshima College; and Sayaka Yonezawa and Keishi Kanno, Division of Common Inner Medication, Hiroshima College Hospital.
Extra data:
Rentao Zhang et al, Stevia Leaf Extract Fermented with Plant-Derived Lactobacillus plantarum SN13T Shows Anticancer Exercise to Pancreatic Most cancers PANC-1 Cell Line, Worldwide Journal of Molecular Sciences (2025). DOI: 10.3390/ijms26094186
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