Among women, ovarian carcinoma represents the sixth and most serious gynecological cancer, affecting more than 250,000 women each year and killing 140,000.
In mammals, granulosa cells, somatic cells closely related to the female gamete, surround oocytes and play a vital role in their maturation as well as in the acquisition of developmental competence. The absence of these cells could have very damaging effects on the processes of maturation and fertilization.
Besides playing a particularly important role in oocyte development, granulosa cells protect oocytes from damage caused by oxidative stress during maturation. The cellular redox state contributes to important cellular functions such as the regulation of proliferation, differentiation, and cell death.
Reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as superoxide anion radicals, hydroxyl radicals, and hydrogen peroxide, are free radicals that cause cell damage through lipid peroxidation and enzymatic inactivation. Over-regulation of ROS production can induce cell death signals through an imbalance in the redox state of cells.
In contrast, glutathione (GSH) is one of the main antioxidants present in mammalian cells and provides a powerful defense against oxidative stress. Improving the balance between the levels of ROS and GSH can reduce DNA damage thus optimizing cell survival.
Recent evidence suggests that many natural products have a beneficial effect with strong anti-cancer activity, Asparagus (Asparagus Officinalis) falls into this category.
A plant extract produced from the underside of asparagus contains active beneficial ingredients such as asparagine, which increases mRNA levels of the HSP70 protein in a human promyelocytic leukemia cell line. HSP70 proteins help the cell protect itself from stressors such as oxidative stress. Asparagus (Asparagus Officinalis) extract is a potential inducer of the protein that may regulate the balance between GSH and ROS.
A recent study, focused on the evaluation of the beneficial antitumor and antimetastatic effects of Asparagus officinalis extract on serous ovarian cancer cell lines and on a transgenic mouse model of high-grade serous ovarian cancer.
The result seems surprising, in fact, it was shown that Asparagus Officinalis beneficially decreased cell viability, causing the arrest of the G1 phase of the cell cycle and inducing apoptosis, i.e. a programmed cell death.
A pan-caspase inhibitor, Z-VAD-FMK, caused induction of apoptosis and inhibition of cell proliferation, implying how caspase-dependent the cytotoxic effects are.
Treatment with Asparagus Officinalis extract reduced the adhesion and invasion ability of tumor cells as well as the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which plays a crucial role in vasculogenesis and angiogenesis.
The combination of Asparagus Officinalis with Paclitaxel, an active ingredient capable of inhibiting mitosis, generated strong benefits with synergistic antiproliferative activity. In addition, asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) significantly inhibited tumor growth and reduced serum VEGF in a genetically modified mouse model of ovarian cancer.
Thus, from the results of this study, it can be highlighted that asparagus (Asparagus Officinalis) extract is a promising natural ingredient for the treatment and prevention of ovarian cancer.
Bibliography
Ho KT, Homma K, Takanari J, et al. “A standardized extract of Asparagus officinalis stem improves HSP70-mediated redox balance and cell functions in bovine cumulus-granulosa cells”. Sci Rep. 2021;11(1):18175. Published 2021 Sep 13. Doi:10.1038/s41598-021-97632-6
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