Long Pepper's Hidden Power: Natural Compound Fights Colon Cancer Cells

Colon cancer is a disease in which the cells grow uncontrollably in the large intestine of the body, forming a tumour. It is one of the most common types of cancer globally. According to the World Health Organization, in 2022, nearly 1.9 million new cases and almost 900,000 deaths occurred due to colon cancer.

While various international cancer research studies have examined natural molecules’ activity towards a variety of cancers, the team at NIT Rourkela conducted a set of laboratory experiments to demonstrate the activity of Piperlongumine -- a natural compound -- as an alternative to chemotherapy.

It is because conventional treatments such as chemotherapy are painful and have long-lasting side effects, including hair loss, fatigue, nerve damage, and weakened immunity.

In addition, the cancerous cells tend to develop resistance to chemotherapy agents, making the treatment difficult.

The findings, published in the prestigious journal BioFactors, showed that Piperlongumine selectively kills colon cancer cells while leaving healthy cells unharmed.

“This natural compound from long pepper has shown strong anticancer effects with minimal side effects, making it a promising and safer alternative therapy. Over time, many cancer patients stop responding to chemotherapy, meaning the treatment no longer works, which can increase the risk of death,” said Prof. Bijesh Kumar Biswal, Associate Professor, Department of Life Science, NIT Rourkela.

In the study, the team conducted multiple assays, including MTT assay, apoptotic induction, nuclear damage, and mitochondrial dysfunction, to check the viability of colon cancer cells after treatment with piperlongumine. These reported significant cancer cell death.

Further, they reported that Piperlongumine increases oxidative stress inside colon cancer cells that they cannot handle, causing them to self-destruct. Normal cells, however, are not affected because they can easily manage this stress.

Since long pepper (pippali/thippili/maghaun) is an inexpensive, easily cultivated plant that already exists in the diet of a large portion of the Indian population, the formulation of piperlongumine offers a low-cost, green therapeutic alternative, especially beneficial for low and middle-income countries due to the exorbitant costs of cancer treatment, the team said.

“As a next step, our team is investigating the use of piperlongumine alongside chemotherapeutic drugs such as oxaliplatin to help restore patients’ responsiveness to treatment. This discovery opens new possibilities for treating advanced and chemo-resistant colorectal cancer, where current treatment options are limited,” Biswal added.

- IANS