The authors of the study reminded that previous epidemiological studies indicated a potential link between coffee consumption and a reduced risk of developing bowel cancer. However, the molecular mechanisms of this interaction remained unclear. The research team led by Motoki Watanabe decided to investigate the effects of individual coffee components at the molecular level in detail.
Experiments showed that caffeic acid significantly reduces the formation of cancer cell colonies. The study found that this compound binds to the protein RPS5, which has previously been associated with an unfavorable prognosis in patients with colorectal cancer.
Additional experiments confirmed that inhibiting RPS5 activity leads to a halt in the cell cycle of tumor cells at the G1 phase and reduces the level of the protein cyclin D1, which is critical for cell division. According to the researchers, caffeic acid blocks the function of RPS5, thereby slowing the growth of tumor cells.
The scientists emphasized that the obtained results could contribute to the development of new compounds based on the structure of caffeic acid, as well as prevention and treatment strategies for cancer targeting RPS5. However, they also cautioned that this data is based on laboratory experiments at the cellular level and does not prove that coffee consumption directly protects against bowel cancer.
