EAU Congress 2019: Compounds Found in Coffee May Inhibit Growth of Prostate Cancer Cells
Posted: Thursday, March 21, 2019
Two compounds naturally found in coffee—kahweol acetate and cafestol—may inhibit the growth of drug-resistant prostate cancer cells, according to a pilot study conducted by Hiroaki Iwamoto, PhD, of Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, Japan. The results, which were presented at the 2019 European Association of Urology (EAU) Congress in Barcelona (Abstract 857), suggest these compounds may prove to be therapeutic candidates for both castration-sensitive and castration-resistant prostate cancers.
Initially, Dr. Iwamoto and colleagues tested the effects of six coffee-derived compounds on the proliferation of human prostate cancers cells in vitro. They discovered that cells treated with kahweol acetate and cafestol, both hydrocarbons, grew more slowly than controls. The researchers tested both of these compounds in prostate cancer cells that were transplanted to 16 mice, divided into 4 groups: untreated control mice, mice treated with kahweol acetate, mice treated with cafestol, and mice treated with a combination of both compounds.
After 11 days, the untreated tumors had grown by 342% of the original volume, whereas the tumors in the mice treated with both compounds had grown by 167% of the original size. “The combination seemed to work synergistically, leading to a significantly slower tumor growth than in untreated mice,” stated Dr. Iwamoto in an EAU press release.
“These are promising findings, but they should not make people change their coffee consumption,” explained coauthor Atsushi Mizokami, MD, PhD, also of Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science. “Coffee can have both positive and negative effects, so we need to find out more about the mechanisms behind these findings before we can think about clinical applications.” The investigators also noted that the type of coffee-making process used may affect whether these compounds remain in coffee after brewing or whether they are stripped out.
Disclosure:The study authors’ disclosure information may be found at eaucongress.uroweb.org.
