Vitamins are vital for the human body! It’s just a pity that our body does not know how to make their long-term reserves! Therefore, summer is an important time – thanks to the consumption of fresh fruits, vegetables, berries, people can replenish the body with natural vitamins!
The staff of the Foundation constantly carry out work aimed at cancer prevention. And an important factor in the fight against it is proper healthy nutrition. That is why we regularly monitor scientific portals and study materials related to oncology. This time, the well-known blueberry has become the object of our close attention!
Blueberries are the closest relative of bilberries, one of the types of deciduous shrubs from the Heather family. Everyone knows the beneficial properties of this berry – a high concentration of vitamins A, C, E, B. In addition, blueberries contain antioxidants, amino acids, flavonoids, fiber, vitamins K, P and PP, as well as magnesium, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, sodium, iron. Blueberry fruits strengthen the human immune system very well. And yet, thanks to the substance myricetin, in large quantities contained in them, they protect against deadly cancers!
The Foundation’s staff found the results of an interesting scientific study on the specialized scientific portal Science Direct.
A few years ago, scientists from the Department of Surgery at the Medical University (Minneapolis, USA) found that myricetin induces the death of pancreatic cancer cells by enhancing apoptosis and destroying the PI3K signaling pathway. A cell signaling pathway is a sequence of molecules through which information is transmitted inside cells, including cancer cells. It consists of the enzyme phosphoinositide-3-kinase. The signaling pathway (Pl3K) is responsible for cell proliferation (tissue growth by dividing), their metabolism and avoiding apoptosis! And this is dangerous! After all, apoptosis is a natural process of programmed cell death, as a result of which the cell dies and breaks up into separate apoptotic bodies. One of the main functions of apoptosis is the destruction of defective (damaged, mutant, infected) cells.
During a scientific study, experts from Minnesota treated orthotopic pancreatic tumors with myricetin in vivo (that is, “inside a living organism” or “inside a cell”). It was noted that the “attack” of myricetin on cancer cells led to tumor regression and a decrease in metastatic spread. The scientists note that myricetin was non-toxic both in vitro (in an artificial environment) and in vivo, highlighting its positive use as a therapeutic agent against pancreatic cancer.
Summarizing the article about the properties of myricetin, we can say – use the summer period and eat blueberries! It is not only tasty, but also very useful!
