This post is prompted by a new study [4].
Astaxanthin is the carotene that naturally gives salmon flesh its pink-to-red color. Salmon farms cannot realistically duplicate a natural diet, which results in unappealing gray flesh. Astaxanthin to the rescue! The suppliers even provide a helpful color chart [1].
It is also available for humans [2].
[3] (Aug, 2016 - Italy) This study provides the background for understanding the importance of the new study.
GSTP1 is a detox enzyme. "Its dysregulation correlates with a large variety of tumors, in particular with prostate cancer."
"We investigated GSTP1 methylation status ... in prostate cancer (PCa) and in benign tissue of 56 prostatectomies."
Note: Methylation is a common way in which cancer protects itself. Methylation of the promoter regions for anti-cancer genes has been well-documented in PCa.
"More than twenty years ago some papers demonstrating that GSTP1 methylation is an early event in prostatic carcinogenesis appeared in the literature ..."
"In line with previous studies, we found GSTP1 methylation in 91.1% of tumor tissues and in 5.4% of adjacent healthy tissues."
Note: Methylation is an epigenetic event. It occurs 'above' the gene level & is reversible.
[4] (Dec, 2016 - U.S.)
"... DNA methylation-based gene silencing represent a common mechanism in prostate carcinogenesis and tumor progression from normal cells to pre-initiated cells and ultimately to invasive carcinoma."
"Treatment with {Astaxanthin} in human LNCaP cells reduced the methylation of 21 CpG sites of the GSTP1 CpG island ..."
Note: the CpG island sites they refer to are promoter regions for GSTP1. Methylation silences these regions, making it impossible to produce GSTP1.
[5] (2005 - U.S. - Research and Development, Triarco Industries)
"A nine day treatment of prostatic carcinoma cells with astaxanthin in vitro produced a 24% decrease in growth at 0.1 mcg/mL and a 38% decrease at 0.01 mcg/mL. "
"Low levels of carotenoid astaxanthin inhibit 5alpha-reductase and decrease the growth of human prostatic cancer cells in vitro."
[6] (2006 - U.S. - Hawaii Biotech)
"Disodium disuccinate astaxanthin (... Cardax) is a water-dispersible C40 carotenoid derivative under development for oral and parenteral administration for cardioprotection of the at-risk ischemic cardiovascular patient."
"... These preliminary studies provide the foundation for more detailed evaluation of the therapeutic effects of this compound on the 5-LOX enzyme, important in chronic diseases such as atherosclerosis, asthma, and prostate cancer in humans."
Astaxanthin might be a 5-LOC inhibitor.
...
Summary. Many of the changes that occur as prostatic cells become cancerous are theoretically reversible. Silenced mechanisms that resist PCa might be reactivated with the proper agents. In the absence of epigenetic drugs, it might be worth trying natural agents that show demethylation activity in the lab. Astaxanthin occurs naturally in food & is also an approved food additive.
-Patrick
[1] dsm.com/markets/anh/en_US/p...
[2] swansonvitamins.com/swanson...
[3] ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...
[4] ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/279...