Olive Oil Component Inhibits Angiogenesis in Colon Cancer

Summary:  Olive oil, along with red wine and berries, contains polyphenols, which  have been shown to suppress inflammation, angiogenesis and tumor  growth. In a new study, researchers describe how one type of polyphenol  found in olive oil inhibits angiogenesis in a mouse model of colorectal  cancer. Mice fed a daily diet of the polyphenol DPE had a significant  reduction in tumor growth and angiogenesis compared with control mice.  The antiangiogenic effects were attributed to suppression of a key  angiogenesis-stimulating pathway in cancer. The results suggest that  polyphenols in olive oil, red wine, berries and other foods could be  combined with cancer drugs or taken separately as chemoprevention. Consumption of olive oil has long been associated with health  benefits such as lower cholesterol and a reduced risk of cardiovascular  disease. There have also been suggestions that people with diets rich in  olive oil may have a lower risk of some cancers due to the  anti-inflammatory properties of polyphenols contained in olive oil. A  polyphenol of olive oil, 2-(3, 4-dihydroxyphenil) ethanol (DPE), which  possesses both anti-inflammatory and anti-clotting activities, has been  shown to reduce the tumor necrosis factor alpha–induced activation of  the inflammatory pathway in an animal model of colon cancer. Angiogenesis, the growth of new tumor blood vessels, also plays a  critical role in the development, progression and metastasis of cancer.  Inflammation and hypoxia, the lack of oxygen in tissues such as tumors,  are closely linked to angiogenesis in cancer development. Inflammation  and hypoxia stimulate angiogenesis through the upregulation of a number  of cell signaling factors, including hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha  (HIF-1a), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and prostaglandin E2 (PGE-2). PGE-2  has been shown to promote both tumor growth and angiogenesis. Given the established anti-inflammatory properties of olive oil,  researchers in Italy, Spain, and at the U.S. National Cancer Institute  sought to find out whether the olive oil polyphenol DPE could inhibit  angiogenesis in mice with implanted human colorectal cancers. The  scientists also used several assays to evaluate the specific anti-tumor  and antiangiogenic activities of DPE. As expected, DPE inhibited the  production and activity of PGE-2, HIF-1 alpha, and vascular endothelial  growth factor, the primary angiogenesis-stimulating protein, and  inhibited the growth of colorectal cancer cells in vitro. Mice that were fed DPE (10 mg/kg/day for 14 days) had reduced tumor growth, likely due to the antiangiogenic effects of DPE. Inflammation, angiogenesis and cancer development are closely linked  processes with a complex interplay of signaling pathways. This study  indicates that compounds with anti-inflammatory and antiangiogenic  properties, such as DPE, resveratrol and other polyphenols, might be  combined with chemotherapy drugs or used separately as chemoprevention. By Roderick Smith, M.S. References: Terzuoli E, et al. Clin Cancer Res;16(16), August 15, 2010.