Mango Extracts Kill Breast Cancer Cells In Culture

Fruits and vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet.  One of the reasons they are has to do with the various bioactive phytochemicals found in them.  There is a very large number and variety of these phytochemicals and research continues to suggest that many of them can provide us with important health benefits.

New research from Texas AgriLife Research suggests that phytochemicals in mangoes can kill breast cancer cells in a cell culture test system.  While few details were reported in the press release, it appears that the researchers tested extracts from five different mango varieties.  The extracts were rich in gallotannins, a phytochemical also found in wine, grape seeds, and tea.  The researchers found that treating breast cancer cells with the mango extracts interrupted the cell growth cycle resulting in death of the breast cancer cells.  While the mango extracts were able to kill the breast cancer cells, they did not harm normal cells.

This is interesting research that builds on the potential health benefits of bioactive phytochemicals.  Since this study was done in a cell culture system using extracts of the mango fruit, there is still a lot of research to be done before determining the potential breast cancer fighting benefits of eating mangoes.  However, the mango is an excellent fruit to consider adding to one's diet due to it nutritional benefits.  A single mango fruit is a good source of dietary fiber (~15% of the daily value [DV]), vitamin B6 (~14% DV), and vitamin E (~12% DV) and an excellent source of vitamins A (~32% DV) and C (~96% DV).  In addition to being a good source of vitamins, many of the phytochemicals in the mango have antioxidant properties to help fight free radical oxidative damage.

Bambangan Seed Extract Inhibits Breast Cancer Cell Growth

Bambangan Seed Extract Inhibits Breast Cancer Cell Growth

By Aaron Tabor, MD

Bambangan (Mangifera pajang) is a fruit in the mango family that is native to Malaysia.  The kernel of this fruit has been shown to be rich in antioxidants like gallic acid and rutin.  A new study reports that extracts of the bambangan kernel might have breast cancer fighting properties.

In this breast cancer study, researchers cultured both hormone-dependent breast cancer cells (MCF-7 cells) and non-hormone dependent breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231 cells) and treated them with different amounts of the bambangan seed extract.  The results of this study showed that:

• The bambangan seed extract blocked breast cancer cell growth by stopping the cell growth cycle at specific points depending on the cell line.
• Programmed cell death of both breast cancer cell lines was stimulated by the bambangan seed extract.
• The breast cancer cell death was induced rapidly with about 15% of the cells dying within 24 hours (non-hormone dependent breast cancer cells) and 36 hours (hormone-dependent breast cancer cells).

This new research study indicates that bambangan might have cancer fighting benefits.  Unfortunately, the phytochemicals likely to be responsible for these cancer fighting properties appear to be present mostly in the seed kernel, so it might be necessary to get the cancer fighting benefits of the bambangan by taking a supplement or consuming other fruits/vegetables with similar plant chemical content..  Other alternatives might be fruis and vegetables rich in gallic acid (walnut, blackberry, raspberry) and/or rutin (buckwheat, citrus fruits, apple peel).

Buah Embawang

Buah Embawang,Bambangan (Mangifera pajang)

'Ong Balem' are what the local Melanaus here name the seasonal fruit which look like canon balls in the picture above. They have a thick skin but are easily removed from the flesh as in the next picture below. The Ibans refer to them as 'bambangan'. They are found wild though many are nowadays cultivated in rural orchards. These fruits can weigh between 1-2 kilos and can reach 10 - 15 cm long or 10 - 15 cm wide. Most of them are spherical. Because of this unique shape and quality ( i.e. without hairs) the Melanaus would jokingly refer to a bald headed person's head as 'ong balem

'The thick yellow flesh are fibrous and can be fine or rough in texture. The skin can be chopped into vegetables , eaten as salad with 'sambal belacan' or shrimp paste and pickled.

Above, the slices are ready to be eaten raw. Depending on the variety the flesh can taste extremely sweet or sour sweet. Because the skin is thick, the fruits once harvested can have a long shelf life averaging about two weeks. After peeling all the yellow flesh away, what is left is a big seed which tastes bitter and seldom eaten.