A team of Polish scientists led by Magdalena Winkel from Adam Mickiewicz University conducted a review of biologically active compounds called glycoalkaloids (found in potatoes and a number of vegetables in the nightshade family) to demonstrate their ability to treat cancer.
The results of the study were published in the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology, according to the Android-Robot portal.
Winkel and her colleagues focused on five glycoalkaloids — solanine, chaconine, solasonine, solamargin and tomatine — found in crude extracts of plants in the nightshade family.
Many of the plants in this family are toxic (mainly due to the alkaloids they produce to protect against animals), but the right dose can turn a poison into a cure: once scientists find a safe therapeutic dose of alkaloids, they can become powerful clinical tools.
Glycoalkaloids, in particular, inhibit the growth of cancer cells and may contribute to their death. Solanine stops some potentially carcinogenic chemicals from turning into carcinogens in the body and inhibits metastasis. Chaconine has anti-inflammatory properties and can treat sepsis. Solamargin, which is mainly found in eggplant, stops the reproduction of liver cancer cells. And tomatine supports the body's regulation of the cell cycle so it can kill cancer cells.
“Further research will be required to determine how this potential can be realized in practical medicine,” Winkel and her team noted. beds."