Anti-cancer tomatoes
Scientists from the British Research Center named after John Innes (John Innes Centre) have created genetically modified tomatoes of dark purple color, rich in antioxidants anthocyanins. Experiments on mice have shown that eating a new variety of tomatoes prevents the development of cancer, increasing the life expectancy of rodents, the journal Nature Biotechnology reports.
Anthocyanins are natural pigments belonging to the class of flavonoids. These substances, which have antioxidant properties, are found in blackberries, blueberries and cranberries. It is assumed that products rich in anthocyanins can prevent the development of malignant tumors, as well as have a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system. The head of the study, Cathy Martin, and her colleagues in their experiments used a snapdragon flower rich in "purple" pigments. Scientists have included two flower genes responsible for the synthesis of anthocyanin in the genome of ordinary tomatoes. As a result, they managed to get dark purple tomatoes with a high content of a useful antioxidant.
At the next stage of the experiments, the new product was tested on mice deprived of the important anti-cancer gene p53 and, accordingly, prone to the development of tumors. It turned out that the use of purple tomatoes in the form of powder allowed to increase the average life expectancy of rodents by almost a third – from 142 to 182 days, scientists reported.
Despite the encouraging results of studies on mice, it is premature to talk about clinical trials of purple tomatoes, scientists say. Currently, they plan to test purple tomatoes on models of various tumors to determine the mechanism of their protective action. In addition, it is necessary to investigate the new product for toxicity, experts say.
Copper News based on EurekAlert! – Purple tomatoes: The richness of antioxidants against tumorsPortal "Eternal youth" www.vechnayamolodost.ru