Disease-Fighting Anti-Oxidants Discovered In Pure Maple Syrup
Before you dig in to your next stack of French toast or waffles, you might want to pour on pure maple syrup.
That’s because University of Rhode Island researcher Navindra Seeram, who specializes in medicinal plant research, has found more than 20 compounds in maple syrup from Canada that have been linked to human health, 13 of which are newly discovered in maple syrup. In addition, eight of the compounds have been found in the Acer (maple) family for the first time.
The URI assistant professor of biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences in URI’s College of Pharmacy presented his findings at the American Chemical Society’s Annual Meeting in San Francisco. The project was made possible by Conseil pour le développement de l’agriculture du Québec (CDAQ), with funding provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food (ACAAF) program.
Several of these anti-oxidant compounds newly identified in maple syrup are also reported to have anti-cancer, anti-bacterial and anti-diabetic properties.
Prior to the study, the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers already knew that its product was full of naturally occurring minerals such as zinc, thiamine and calcium. But it enlisted Seeram to research the presence of plant anti-oxidants. The Federation awarded Seeram a two-year, $115,000 grant with the help of the CDAQ and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. His research continues to determine if the compounds exist in beneficial quantities. Read more
Targeting Cancerous Vessels
By lowering the level of a neuronal protein, researchers halted the growth of blood vessels that tumors rely on for survival. The findings are reported online in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.
Formerly known for its effects on neuronal growth, the team found that the protein {delta}-catenin is also produced by cells in human blood vessels. By diminishing {delta}-catenin expression, the team disrupted vessel development, or angiogenesis, associated with inflammation in tumors and wounds. As expected, samples of human lung tumors expressed more {delta}-catenin than the surrounding tissues. And normal angiogenesis remained the same regardless of {delta}-catenin.
Because blocking {delta}-catenin stunts only inflammation-induced angiogenesis, the protein may be a promising anti-cancer target, says Charles Lin, an author on the study at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Tennessee.