Pectin may protect against cancer: Study
By Stephen Daniells
13-Oct-2008 - A fragment released from pectin may protect against
cancer by binding to a protein that plays a role in all stages of
cancer progression, suggests new research from the UK.
Researchers from the Institute of Food Research report that galactan
side-chain may bind and inhibit galectin 3 (Gal3), linked to cancer
progression.
"This first step opens the way to a new and exciting area of research
in bioactive carbohydrates," said Professor Vic Morris, the lead
researcher of the study.
The researchers report their findings in the Federation of American
Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Journal.
Extracted pectin (E440) with worldwide production estimated at 35,000
tonnes a year, is currently widely used as gelling agents in jams,
confectionary, and bakery fillings, and stabilisers in yoghurts and
milk drinks.
Players in the pectin field are starting to eye the health ingredients
market. But many remain reluctant to make any kind of health claims
until more science is built up. And for pectin, the science has
indicated a potential prebiotic effect, the important fibre content,
and potential cardiovascular benefits by lowering LDL cholesterol.
Pectin structure is the key
The chemical structure of pectin is based on a chain of repeating
galacturonic acid units. In this “smooth” backbone, regions where
galacturonic acid is substituted by rhamnose that has lots of
sidechains of various neutral sugars branching off – termed “hairy
regions”. This type of pectin is called rhamnogalacturonan I (RGI).
Alkaline and acid treatments of pectin – as is performed industrially
- lead to modified pectin. Such treatments change the structure of
pectin and can lead to the release of modified “hairy regions”, said
the researchers, and “preferential removal of arabinose residues”.
“The removal of arabinose appears to promote enhanced accessibility to
the galactan chains and allows several individual galactan chains to
bind to … Gal3,” said the researchers.
“The experimental data support the suggested molecular hypothesis for
the anticancer action of modified pectin by demonstrating that
bioactive fragments from pectin can bind specifically to Gal3,” they
added.
Prof Morris confirmed that the research area is ongoing, with the next
stage aiming to identify how pectin can be taken up by the body and
released so it can exert its effect on cancer cells.
The research could also result in functional foods with added
bioactive pectin, said Prof Morris.
The research was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences
Research Council (BBSRC).
Source: FASEB Journal
Published online ahead of print, 2 October 2008, doi:10.1096/fj.
08-106617
“Recognition of galactan components of pectin by galectin-3”
Authors: A.P. Gunning, R.J.M. Bongaerts, V.J. Morris
------------------
Pectin shows potential against prostate cancer
By Stephen Daniells
21-Aug-2007 - Pectin, a type of fibre found in fruits and vegetables
and may induce programmed cell death in prostate cancer cells,
suggests a new laboratory study from the US.
Writing in the journal Glycobiology, researchers from the University
of Georgia report that prostate cancer cells exposed to pectin reduced
the number of cells by up to 40 per cent, and is said to be the first
to report benefits against prostate cancer.
"What this paper shows is that if you take human prostate cancer cells
and add pectin, you can induce programmed cell death," said lead
researcher Debra Mohnen. "If you do the same with non-cancerous cells,
cell death doesn't occur."
Over half a million news cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed every
year world wide, and the cancer is the direct cause of over 200,000
deaths. More worryingly, the incidence of the disease is increasing
with a rise of 1.7 per cent over 15 years.
The new study looked at the effect of different forms of pectin -
commercially available fractionated pectin powder (FPP), citrus pectin
(CP), and pH-modified CP (PectaSol) - on hormone- (androgen)
responsive and androgen-independent human prostate cancer cells.
Lead author Crystal Jackson report that the FPP induced apoptosis
(programmed cell death) by about 40 fold, compared to non-treated
cells, for both types of cancer cells.
Chemical treatment of the FPP using base (alkali) in order to remove
the ester linkages of the pectin structure destroyed the ability of
the pectin to induce apoptosis, said the researchers, while treatment
of the pectin with pectinmethylesterase enzymes did not affect
activity, indicating that the base-sensitive linkages played an
important role in the apparent anti-cancer benefits.
Both citrus pectin and the pH-modified citrus pectin had no effect on
the cancer cells, reported Jackson, but heat treatment of citrus
pectin resulted in significant levels of apoptosis comparable to FPP.
"These results indicate that specific structural elements within
pectin are responsible for the apoptotic activity, and that this
structure can be generated, or enriched for, by heat treatment of CP,"
wrote Jackson.
"These findings provide the foundation for mechanistic studies of
pectin apoptotic activity and a basis for the development of pectin-
based pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, or recommended diet changes
aimed at combating prostate cancer occurrence and progression,"
concluded the authors.
Mohnen called for more study into the potential anti-cancer benefits
of pectin, but said that increased fruit and vegetable intake would
provide consumers with significant benefits.
"Even though we hear constantly that we're supposed to eat lots of
fruits and vegetables, it wasn't until we started working on these
studies that it finally hit home how really important that was," she
said. "By simply increasing your intake of fruits of vegetables,
you're going to get a lot of pectin and you're going to get all of the
other beneficial phytochemicals at the same time."
The study adds to the growing body of evidence on the health benefits
of pectin, which has been shown to have a prebiotic effect, lower
cholesterol and glucose levels in humans, and may also have potential
for weight management.
The ingredient, with worldwide production estimated at 35,000 tonnes a
year, is currently widely used as gelling agents in jams,
confectionary, and bakery fillings, and stabilisers in yoghurts and
milk drinks.
The majority of pectin used currently comes from citrus peel and apple
pomace. Other sources of the ingredient, like sugar beet and pumpkin,
have remained largely unexploited because of certain undesirable
structural properties.
Source: Glycobiology
August 2007, Volume 17, Issue 8, Pages 805-819; doi:10.1093/glycob/
cwm054
"Pectin induces apoptosis in human prostate cancer cells: correlation
of apoptotic function with pectin structure"
Author: C.L. Jackson, T.M. Dreaden, L.K. Theobald, N.M. Tran, T.L.
Beal, M. Eid, M. Yun Gao, R.B. Shirley, M.T. Stoffel, M.V. Kumar and
D. Mohnen
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Plant Pectin Promotes Progression Protection 
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