Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) makes up for around 10-15% of total breast cancer cases. This is the most difficult kind of breast cancer to treat which is particularly seen in Black women, younger women and women with the BRCA mutation. The reason TNBC is so difficult to treat is because the cells in this disease test negative for the three components – estrogen and progesterone receptors, and HER2 protein.
Dr. Patricia Mendonca, assistant professor and research analyst at A&M University Tallahassee, Florida gave evidence in Philadelphia that the spice cardamom contains a natural compound Cardamonin which might be a key compound in treating TNBC, reported Medical News Today. Dr. Mendonca explained that Cardamonin had been researched upon and many publications mentioning the anti-cancer properties against breast, prostate and colorectal cancer.
“Taking into consideration all the reported pharmacological effects and that Cardamonin has been used in Indian cuisine for many years and sold as a supplement at health stores, we decided to investigate its effect on the PD-L1/Nrf2 axis,” she added.
The PD-1 and PD-L1 bind together to stop T cells from attacking other cells and this leads to cancer cells escaping our immune system and the cancer spreading like wildfire. While treating cancer, the idea is to inhibit PD-L1 from binding with PD-1 so that the T cells can attack and kill the cancer cells. Avelumb (Bavencio) and atezolizumab (Tecentriq), two immunotherapy medications help with this inhibition and hence treating cancer.
Cardamonin is capable of doing so and the research found that PD-L1 reduced in the Caucasian cell line. However, PD-L1 increased in African American cell lines while doing the same. Overall, the research showed promise, according to Dr. Mendonca and could lead to less painful medications and treatment for TNBC. Currently, TNBC is majorly treated using surgery, radiation and chemotherapies, all of which cause a lot of pain to the patients.
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