Young Shoots and Mature Red Cabbage Inhibit Proliferation and Induce Apoptosis of Prostate Cancer Cell Lines

Abstract

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men. Recent dietary and epidemiological studies have suggested the benefit of dietary intake of cruciferous vegetables in lowering the incidence of cancer. The health promoting effects of red cabbage are attributed to their mixture of phytochemicals known for their antioxidant and anticancer activity. In the current study, we investigated whether young shoots and mature red cabbage had any effect on prostate cancer cell lines (DU145 and LNCaP). Attempts were also made to identify the potential molecular mechanism(s) by which plant material elicits its biological effects on prostate cancer cell lines. Here we report that the studied vegetable inhibited the proliferation of cancer cells and that this process was associated with the induction of apoptosis via caspase-dependent and both extrinsic and intrinsic pathways. In addition, we also observed the regulation of genes and proteins associated with cell survival and apoptotic events.