Blueberries and grapes.

Blueberries and grapes that contain the compound pterostilbene might help the body combat a problematic protein, cytochrome P450. The protein is associated with an increased risk of cancer.

In laboratory tests with liver cells from mice, pterostilbene suppressed a specific form of the protein Xenobiotica. U.S.-based scientists collaborated in the cytochrome P450 work with medical researchers in Poland. Earlier tests directed by the U.S. team showed that pterostilbene can help lower cholesterol in laboratory animals, and that the compound is present in many types of berries. They had previously tested pterostilbene and found it to be toxic to a human breast cancer cell line.

Knowing also that the chemical structure of pterostilbene is similar to that of resveratrol, scientists set out to determine if pterostilbene might therefore have the same sort of anticancer and antioxidant qualities as resveratrol, an antioxidant compound commonly found in a variety of fruits such as cranberries and blueberries. In a series of laboratory tests, researchers examined cells extracted from mouse mammary glands. Not only did they find that pterostilbene was able to prevent a type of cell damage normally associated with cancer-causing agents, but they also concluded that pterostilbene may be just as potent as resveratrol in its ability to fight and prevent cancer.

Contact: Agnes Rimando, USDA-ARS Natural Products Utilization Research, Room 3039, P.O. Box 1157, Oxford, MS 38655. Phone: [phone]. Fax: [phone]. Email: [e-mail].