Nutraceuticals for prostate cancer chemoprevention: from molecular mechanisms to clinical application.
BACKGROUND
Nutraceutical is a food, or part of a food, used for the prevention and/or treatment of diseases. A number of nutraceuticals serve as candidates for development of prostate cancer chemopreventive agents because of promising epidemiological, preclinical and pilot clinical findings. Their mechanisms of action may involve an ability to target multiple molecular pathways in carcinogenesis without eliciting toxic side effects.


METHODS
This review provides an overview of several nutraceuticals, including green tea polyphenol, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, lycopene, genistein, quercetin, resveratrol and sulforaphane, for the clinical relevance to chemoprevention of prostate cancer. Their mechanisms of action on regulating key processes of carcinogenesis are also discussed. For each of these agents, a brief summary of completed or currently ongoing clinical trials related to the chemopreventive efficacy on prostate cancer is given.


CONCLUSIONS
Even though a few clinical trials have been conducted, review of these results indicate that further studies are required to confirm the clinical efficacy and safety, and to provide a guidance on how to use nutraceuticals for optimal effect. Future cancer prevention clinical trials for the nutraceuticals should recruit men with an increased risk of prostate cancer.
Research Assistant Professor, Western University of Health Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences , Pomona, CA , USA.
Zhijun
Z
Wang
Jeffery
J
Fan
Mandy
M
Liu
Steven
S
Yeung
Andy
A
Chang
Moses S S
MS
Chow
Doreen
D
Pon
Ying
Y
Huang
D000818:Animals; D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*
D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents