Natural Compound That Has Unexpected Effects in Treating Breast Cancer

The spice cardamom is known for its inimitable smell and taste. Native to the Indian subcontinent and Indonesia, it is a great addition to pastry or coffee. But it turns out it has other hitherto unknown health benefits as well.

Cardamonin, which can be found in cardamom spice, has a good therapeutic effect when it comes to treating triple-negative breast cancer, according to research led by Florida A&M University in Tallahassee.

The latest research is based on a study of human cancer cells. According to the findings, the compound is capable of targeting a gene that helps cancer cells to attack the immune system - the programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) gene.

"It has been challenging to develop a targeted therapy for triple-negative breast cancer that is safe and effective at the same time," said Patricia Mendonca, assistant professor and research analyst at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, cited by research website, Medical Xpress. "Because of this, there is a critical need to investigate medicinal plants as a new way to fight this cancer."

About 10 to 15 percent of breast cancer cases are triple-negative, meaning that there are no receptors for estrogen or progesterone and the body produces an excess amount of a protein called HER2 - an oncogene that drives tumor development.

Triple-negative breast cancer has higher mortality rates. And in such cases hormone therapy used for other types of breast cancer is largely ineffective.

According to Mendonca, the centuries-long use of cardamom as a spice and supplement shows that cardamonin poses no potential risks, whereas health benefits can be impressive.

"Our research shows that cardamonin holds the potential for improving cancer therapy without as many side effects as other chemotherapeutic agents," she noted.

In the research, the scientists used two genetically different triple-negative breast cancer cell lines - one from women of African-American origin, and the other one from those of European descent. Both cell lines showed that cardamonin treatment decreased cell viability. However, cardamonin suppressed the PD-L1 gene in the Caucasian cell line more than in the African-American one.

"This is the first study to describe cardamonin's inhibitory effect on the expression of PD-L1, which is relevant for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer," said Mendonca. "These findings add support to other research that has shown differences in the tumor microenvironment between African and non-African Americans."

The team has indicated that it needs additional research to determine the therapeutic potential of cardamonin when it comes to breast cancer treatment before it is tested on people.