The usual sweetener of tea will become a secret weapon against cancer: what is so special in it

The authors acknowledge that the discovery is early in the early stage, but the results indicate the potential efficiency of Stevia in the fight against pancreatic cancer, writes Science Alert. In focus. Technology has appeared its Telegram channel. Subscribe not to miss the latest and most intrusive news from the world of science! Cancer of the pancreas remains one of the most difficult types of cancer.

The main problem is that the symptoms, as a rule, appear only after the disease has spread, and traditional treatments, such as chemichtherapy, rarely give a positive result. In general, statistics, according to scientists, are very disappointing: less than 10% of patients live five years after diagnosis. As a result, there is an urgent need for more effective and less toxic treatments. In a new study, scientists turned to plant compounds.

It should be noted that many chemical therapeutic drugs that are already used today are of vegetable origin, including Pacitaxel, which is obtained from the Pacific Tisza bark, and winecards, which are obtained from the Madagascar periwinkle, which opens a proven path to finding new remedies to combat cancer. Stevia is a leafy plant that grows in South America and is widely known for its natural sweet taste.

Derivative plants can often be found on supermarket shelves as sweeteners, but few consider stevia a medicinal plant. At the same time, according to Justin Stebbbing, Professor of Biomedical Sciences at the University of England Raskin, Stevia leaves are rich in biologically active compounds, some of which have anti -cancer and antioxidant activity.

The difficulty is to reveal this potential - unused stevia extracts have only moderate efficiency in laboratory conditions, and large doses are required for cancer. To solve this problem, scientists have turned to fermentation. This process is already known for the preparation of yogurt, kimchi and bread on the sourdough, but in fact fermentation is more than just culinary appliances. It is a kind of microbial alchemy, capable of converting plant compounds into new bioactive molecules.

In a new work, scientists at the University of Hiroshima have focused on the fact that stevia with the right bacteria. They experimented with Lactobacillus Plantarum Sn13T strain, a relative of bacteria that usually occur in fermented products. The results show that as a result of fermentation a compound is formed, which shows a more pronounced anticancer effect than the raw extract of the plant.

The team conducted a test in the laboratory and found that the fermented stevia extract caused the mass death of pancreatic cancer cells. Further analysis showed that this effect is responsible for CAME. It blocks cancer cells in a certain phase of their life cycle, preventing their reproduction and triggering apoptosis. The results of the stevia study are secreted by the selectivity of this compound. Destruction of cancer cells while maintaining healthy is a sacred graal for cancer researchers.