Create powerful anti-cancer substances from stevia with banana leaves

Fermenting stevia with probiotics derived from banana leaves turns it into a powerful anti-cancer agent that kills pancreatic cancer cells without harming healthy cells. The secret lies in a metabolite produced through bacterial transformation.

According to a research team at Hiroshima University (Japan), when fermented with bacteria isolated from banana leaves, stevia extract can kill pancreatic cancer cells but does not harm healthy kidney cells.

Banana leaves are a powerful cancer treatment ingredient - Photo 1.

Scientists have created a powerful anti-cancer substance using stevia fermentation technology with probiotics from banana leaves - ILLUSTRATION PHOTO: AI

“Globally, the incidence and mortality of pancreatic cancer continue to increase, with a five-year survival rate of less than 10%,” said co-author Narandalai Danshiitsoodol, Associate Professor, Department of Preventive Medicine and Probiotic Science, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University. Pancreatic cancer is highly invasive and metastatic, and is highly resistant to existing treatments, such as surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find new and effective anti-cancer compounds, especially those derived from medicinal plants.

Previous studies have shown that stevia leaf extract shows potential as an anti-cancer drug, but the isolation and application of specific bioactive components that protect against cancer cells remain challenging, said Professor Danshiitsoodol. However, fermentation with bacteria from banana leaves can change the structure of the extract and produce highly bioactive metabolites, according to science news site Scitech Daily.

To enhance the pharmacological effects of natural plant extracts, an emerging effective strategy is microbial fermentation, said co-author Professor Masanori Sugiyama, from the Department of Preventive Medicine Probiotic Science, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences.

In this study, the authors aimed to compare lactic acid bacteria-fermented and non-fermented extracts to identify key compounds that enhance bioactivity, thereby contributing to improving the effectiveness of herbal medicine in cancer prevention and treatment.

Specifically, the research team fermented stevia leaf extract with the Lactobacillus plantarum SN13T strain derived from banana leaves. Then, its effects were compared with those of unfermented stevia extract - on pancreatic cancer cells in the laboratory, along with healthy kidney cells.

The results showed that the fermented extract exhibited much higher cytotoxicity than the unfermented extract, suggesting that the fermentation process enhanced the bioactivity of the extract, said Professor Sugiyama.

Notably, the fermented extract exhibited lower toxicity to healthy kidney cells, with even the highest tested concentrations having minimal side effects, suggesting that the substance is not harmful to healthy cells, according to Scitech Daily.

Additional analyses identified chlorogenic acid methyl ester (CAME) as the active anticancer compound. The data demonstrated that CAME exhibited extremely strong cytotoxicity and apoptosis-promoting effects on pancreatic cancer cells.

Next, the researchers say they plan to study the effects in mouse models to better understand the effects of different doses on whole body systems.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tao-duoc-chat-chong-ung-thu-manh-me-tu-co-ngot-voi-la-chuoi-185250727193407045.htm