Skin cancer specialists in Arizona have identified a food additive that could help protect against skin cancer, from the inside out.
Researchers at the University of Arizona (UA) College of Pharmacy in Tucson have discovered that a compound, bixin, found in the natural food additive annatto prevents the formation of cancer cells from UV radiation in mice.
The discovery was made by Georg Wondrak, PhD, associate professor, and Donna Zhang, PhD, professor, both of the UA’s Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, and both members of the University of Arizona Cancer Center.
The Arizona Cancer Center is a leading knowledge centre for skin cancer research, education and care and is home to one of the largest Cancer Prevention and Control Programmes in the US. The Cancer Center is host to 73 research labs and more than 300 physician and scientist members from multiple disciplines researching cancer prevention and treatment. Testament to its intellectual capital, its dedicated Skin Cancer Institute (SCI) was host to the 11th annual International Skin Carcinogenesis Conference in 2014, a biannual meeting for scientists working at the forefront of understanding the molecular basis for skin cancer development.
Bixin is a bright red-orange compound found in annatto, a natural condiment and food colouring derived from the seeds of the achiote fruit. The common ingredient in Latin American cooking was once used by Mayans as body paint and is now used as a colouring in food including cheese, butter and margarine.
The discovery draws on the collaboration between Dr Wondrak, who works to find small molecules, often in edible plants, that can prevent skin cancer; and Dr Zhang, a leading expert on the Nrf2 transcription factor, which strengthens cells against exposure to carcinogens.
In their recent study, mice injected with bixin and untreated mice were exposed to UV radiation. The mice who had received bixin experienced much less severe skin damage than uninjected mice.
Dr Wondrak says this discovery is unique because bixin is a consumed food substance, not a topical sunscreen applied to the skin. It prevents UV skin damage from the inside out by inducing cells to make protective antioxidants and repair factors. The compound does not kill skin cancer cells, but prevents their forming in the first place.
Further research is now underway to test whether bixin prevents UV skin damage in humans. Because annatto is already approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a safe food additive, it is expected to require fewer rounds of clinical trials.
